2003 IFA Congress: Montreal, Canada

Perceptions of People Who Stutter: Effects of Familiarity

Rodney M. Gabel¹, Glen Tellis², and Matthew T. Althouse^3
1Department of Communication Disorders, Bowling Green State University. Bowling Green, OH 43402
²Department of Special Education and Clinical Services, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA I 5 705
³Department of Communication, State University of New York College at Brockport, Brockport, NY 14420

SUMMARY

This study investigated whether familiarity, or knowing a person who stutters, affected the perceptions that individuals reported toward people who stutter. The effect of different levels of familiarity on perceptions toward people who stutter in general was also explored. One hundred and ninety five university students participated in the study. The findings suggested that neither familiarity nor different levels of familiarity had a significant effect on the perceptions that normally fluent speakers reported toward people who stutter. Additionally, the results suggested that the students reported neutral to mildly positive perceptions toward people who stutter.

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