Original articles: attitudes toward own communication and toward stutterers

Abstract

One theory explains the consistent negative stereotype toward stutterers by suggesting that it is formed by a process of inference. Fluent speakers use their own experiences of normal dysfluency to infer the personality of persons who are often dysfluent: stutterers. This was examined in the present study by analyzing the relationships between 164 adolescents’ attitudes towards their own communication, measured by the Erickson Scale, and their attitudes towards stuttering adolescents. Attitudes toward stutterers were measured by a semantic differential questionnaire with 25 bipolar adjective scales divided into the Tenseness and Pleasantness Scales. The effect of stutterers’ sex and participants’ sex was examined as well. The results showed a weak positive correlation between boys’ attitudes toward their own communication and their attitudes toward male stutterers on the Tenseness Scale only. These results only partially supported the Inference Theory. In addition, the sex of the persons who stutter had no effect on the attitudes expressed toward them, showing that female stutterers did not have a double minority status. On the other hand, female participants showed significantly more positive attitudes toward stutterers on the Pleasantness Scale of the semantic differential questionnaire. Finally, a positive correlation was found between attitudes toward own communication and social self-image, emphasizing the importance of communication skills for social adjustment.