RESUMO
This study examined the potential usefulness of automated analysis of on-off speech patterns in the differentiation of stuttering from cluttering. Two groups of fifteen persons who had been previously classified as stutterers and clutterers served as subjects for this investigation. The data indicate that stutterers tend to have greater mean pause times and lower mean phonation times than clutterers. This result corresponds to the clinically observable characteristics of these groups. It is concluded that automated analysis of on-off speech patterns provides some basis for the differential diagnosis of stuttering from cluttering.
RESUMO
Changes in the on-off patterns of speech under delayed auditory feedback (DAF) have been represented by gross measures such as total reading time, percent phonation time, and total pause time. The research reported in the present paper employed an analog-to-digital converter to assess changes (from normal speech to DAF speech) in 11 descriptive measures derived from the distribution of pause and vocalization durations. These measures reflected variations in individual speech performance under DAF which were consistent with the subjective ratings of the authors. It was concluded that independent correlates of subject, task, and environmental variables would be required to determine the usefulness of these measures.
