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DAY-TO-DAY VARIABILITY of STUTTERING by Christopher D

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DAY-TO-DAY VARIABILITY of STUTTERING by Christopher D DAY-TO-DAY VARIABILITY OF STUTTERING by Christopher D. Constantino Bachelors of Science Mechanical Engineering, Binghamton University, 2009 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Speech-Language Pathology University of Pittsburgh 2012 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF HEALTH AND REHABILITATION SCIENCES This thesis was presented by Christopher D. Constantino It was defended on June 1, 2012 and approved by J. Scott Yaruss, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Communication Science and Disorders Paula Leslie, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Communication Science and Disorders Robert W. Quesal, Professor, Western Illinois University, Communication Sciences & Disorders Thesis Director: J. Scott Yaruss, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Communication Science and Disorders ii Copyright © by Christopher D. Constantino 2012 iii DAY-TO-DAY VARIABILITY OF STUTTERING Christopher D. Constantino, M.S. University of Pittsburgh, 2012 Variability has long been known to be a primary feature of the disorder of stuttering (Bloodstein & Bernstein Ratner, 2008; Costello & Ingham, 1984; Yaruss, 1997a, 1997b). Many factors that affect variability have been investigated (Brown, 1937; Johnson & Brown, 1935; Quarrington, Conway, & Siegel, 1962) yet the typical range of variability experienced by speakers remains unknown. This study will examine the speech of six adult speakers in three spontaneous speaking situations and two reading tasks. The frequency, duration, and types of stuttered events that occur on the tasks will be compared within and between speakers. The focus will be on describing variability in stuttering frequency and duration within speakers and attempting to detect consistent patterns between speakers. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 BACKGROUND .................................................................................................. 5 1.1.1 Explanations of Variability ............................................................................. 7 1.1.2 Factors that Affect Variability ..................................................................... 11 1.1.2.1 Fluency Facilitating Conditions ......................................................... 11 1.1.2.2 Situational Factors .............................................................................. 13 1.1.2.3 Linguistic Factors ................................................................................ 14 1.1.2.4 Variability as it relates to sample size ............................................... 22 1.1.2.5 Variability as it relates to Speech Rate ............................................. 24 1.1.2.6 Variability over Time.......................................................................... 26 1.1.3 Consequences and Implications ................................................................... 29 2.0 METHOD ................................................................................................................... 31 2.1 PARTICIPANTS ............................................................................................... 31 2.2 DATA COLLECTION ...................................................................................... 33 2.2.1 Tasks ............................................................................................................... 33 2.2.1.1 Demographic Questionnaire .............................................................. 33 2.2.1.2 Spontaneous Speaking Tasks ............................................................. 33 2.2.1.3 Reading Tasks ..................................................................................... 34 v 2.2.1.4 Comprehensive Assessment ............................................................... 35 2.2.2 Data Collection Sessions ................................................................................ 36 2.2.2.1 Collection ............................................................................................. 36 2.2.2.2 Blinding and Randomization ............................................................. 36 2.2.2.3 Standardization ................................................................................... 36 2.3 DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 37 2.4 RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT ....................................................................... 38 2.4.1 Intra-rater Reliability .................................................................................... 39 2.4.2 Inter-rater Reliability .................................................................................... 40 3.0 RESULTS ................................................................................................................... 41 3.1 PARTICIPANTS COMPARED TO THEMSELVES ................................... 43 3.1.1 Frequency Data .............................................................................................. 43 3.1.1.1 Participant 1 Frequency Data ............................................................ 43 3.1.1.2 Participant 2 Frequency Data ............................................................ 47 3.1.1.3 Participant 3 Frequency Data ............................................................ 50 3.1.1.4 Participant 4 Frequency Data ............................................................ 53 3.1.1.5 Participant 5 Frequency Data ............................................................ 56 3.1.1.6 Participant 6 Frequency Data ............................................................ 59 3.1.2 Characteristics Data ...................................................................................... 63 3.1.2.1 Participant 1 Characteristic Data ...................................................... 63 3.1.2.2 Participant 2 Characteristic Data ...................................................... 65 3.1.2.3 Participant 3 Characteristic Data ...................................................... 67 3.1.2.4 Participant 4 Characteristic Data ...................................................... 69 vi 3.1.2.5 Participant 5 Characteristic Data ...................................................... 71 3.1.2.6 Participant 6 Characteristic Data ...................................................... 73 3.2 PARTICIPANTS COMPARED TO EACH OTHER .................................... 74 3.2.1 Frequency Data .............................................................................................. 74 3.2.1.1 Conversation Frequency Data ........................................................... 75 3.2.1.2 Arthur Frequency Data ...................................................................... 78 3.2.1.3 Monologue Frequency Data ............................................................... 81 3.2.1.4 Random Reading Frequency Data .................................................... 84 3.2.1.5 Picture Description Frequency Data ................................................. 87 3.2.2 Characteristic Data ........................................................................................ 90 3.2.2.1 OASES Characteristic Data ............................................................... 91 3.2.2.2 SSI-4 Characteristic Data ................................................................... 92 3.2.2.3 Daily Questionnaire Characteristic Data .......................................... 94 3.3 CORRELATIONS ............................................................................................. 96 4.0 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................... 100 4.1 INTERPRETATION OF DATA .................................................................... 100 4.2 IMPLICATIONS OF DATA .......................................................................... 104 4.3 COMPARISON TO PAST RESEARCH ...................................................... 108 4.4 STUDY LIMITATIONS AND DIRECTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ...................................................................................................................... 108 5.0 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 110 APPENDIX A. DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE ........................................................ 111 APPENDIX B. ARTHUR THE RAT ...................................................................................... 114 vii APPENDIX C. COMMA GETS A CURE .............................................................................. 115 APPENDIX D. THE NORTH WIND AND THE SUN ......................................................... 117 APPENDIX E. THE GRANDFATHER PASSAGE .............................................................. 118 APPENDIX F. THE RAINBOW PASSAGE.......................................................................... 119 APPENDIX G. SELECTED PASSAGES FROM SSI-4 ....................................................... 120 APPENDIX H. DAILY QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................................................... 122 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................... 126 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Categories of Disfluency .................................................................................................
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