Abstract
Most theories and experiments involved in stuttering have been psychologically oriented. This study takes into consideration these factors but seeks to investigate auditory feedback as one physical, external factor which might cause stuttering. The reactions of stutterers and nonstutterers to pure tone signals were examined in order to determine if there is a time lag in the stutterer's reactions to certain sounds which might prove significant. Thirty males, 15 stutterers and 15 nonstutterers, were subjected to a random selection of pure tones at different frequency and intensity levels. Reaction time between signals was recorded through a Galvanic Skin Response. A .95 second difference in time delay for stutterers proved significant at the P < .01 level. This difference in reaction time strongly indicates that in certain cases stuttering may be the result of minute physical imperfections in the feedback loop of the hearing mechanism.
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