Experimental Modification of Disfluency in Normal Speakers

Abstract

The effects of contingent shock, threat of shock, and random shock on the disfluencies of 36 normal readers were variously explored in three experiments. When shock was made contingent upon specific disfluencies, a punishment effect was evidenced and disfluencies decreased. During noncontingent presentations the effects of shock were less consistent. The results indicate that disfluencies are manipulable responses that, like other verbal behaviors, can be conditioned.