Working memory in adults who stutter using a visual N-back task

Communicative practices and perceptions towards stuttering people in South Africa

BACKGROUND

 A few studies have explored the life experiences of people who stutter. Research has shown that stuttering affects a significant number of people in the population.

OBJECTIVES

 The study was designed to explore the experiences of people who stutter and the perception of stuttering in South Africa.

METHOD

 Four people who identified as South Africans who stutter participated in this study. The primary investigator conducted semi-structured interviews with each of the participants. In addition, a questionnaire was administered to 20 acquaintances of all the participants. Transcriptions of interviews and results of questionnaires were analysed for major and minor themes.

RESULTS

 Results of this study suggest different perceptions by those who stutter and those acquainted with them. The findings of the study show that people who stutter experience communication barriers, so they adopt certain strategies to manage and cope with their speech disorder. The findings showed that stuttering has a pervasive impact on the lives of people who stutter and how they view themselves, considering negative societal views.

CONCLUSION

 Evaluation of the results from the study reveals that although stuttering is a common speech disorder, many people who are less informed about it harbour various stereotypes and myths that stigmatise stuttering. This study concludes by outlining recommendations for creating awareness of stuttering. It suggests vigorous campaigns aiming at promoting a multilevel approach that extends beyond the mere social and professional understanding of stuttering but addresses the inherent perceptions, myths, and stereotypes around stuttering.Contribution: Experiences of people who stutter and perceptions towards stuttering can help to better understand the speech disorder and overcome myths and stereotyping of stuttering.

Differences in auditory verbal working memory between adults who do and do not stutter on an N-back task

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to investigate auditory verbal working memory in adults who do (AWS) and do not (AWNS) stutter using a highly demanding linguistic N-back task.

METHODS

Fifteen AWS and 15 AWNS matched in age, gender and educational level were asked to hear series of words and respond by pressing a "yes" button if the word they just heard was the same as the word one, two, or three trials back. Words were either phonologically similar (i.e., Phonological Linguistic Condition) or phonologically dissimilar (i.e., Neutral Linguistic Condition). Accuracy and false alarms rates as well as reaction time on correct target trials, missed target trials and false alarms were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

Differences were not found between AWS and AWNS in accuracy. Both groups were more accurate and significantly faster in 1- followed by 2- followed by 3-back trials. However, AWS were significantly slower than AWNS in the 2-back level, regardless of linguistic condition. Furthermore, AWS demonstrated more false alarms compared to AWNS.

CONCLUSION

Results revealed differences in auditory verbal working memory and interference control between AWS and AWNS when processing highly linguistically demanding stimuli.

Complex working memory in adults with and without stuttering disorders: Performance patterns and predictive relationships

PURPOSE

Available studies of working memory (WM) in speakers who stutter tend to rely on parent report, focus on phonological WM, or measure WM in combination with other processes. The present research aimed to: (1) compare complex WM in adults who stutter (AWS) and adults who do not stutter (AWNS); (2) characterize group performance patterns; and (2) determine whether WM predicts stuttering severity.

METHODS

Eighteen AWS and 20 AWNS completed parallel verbal and spatial span tasks in which to-be-remembered items were interleaved with a distracting task across varying set sizes. Dependent variables included the number of correctly recalled items, accuracy on distraction tasks, and detailed analyses of item-level responses. We further examined whether span scores predicted subjective and objective measures of stuttering severity.

RESULTS

Relative to AWNS, AWS showed poorer recall, specifically on short set sizes in the spatial task. Groups performed similarly on distraction tasks and showed comparable error patterns. Predictive relationships differed by span task and severity measure. Lower verbal span scores predicted greater stuttering impact and more overt stuttering behaviors; lower spatial span scores predicted lower impact and was unrelated to overt behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that AWS differ subtly from AWNS in WM performance. Group differences became more apparent under certain task conditions but could not be attributed to specific underlying processes. Data further indicated a complex relationship between WM and stuttering severity. Overall, results corroborate previous studies linking stuttering to domain-general weaknesses, but highlight the need for additional research to clarify the nature of this relationship.

Analysis of the Questioning and Dialectical Relationship between the Pursuit of Intensity in School Physical Health Education

In the rapid development of the country and schools, physical education and health programs have gradually become an essential part of schools in order to improve students' core physical education skills and literacy, and have a very important role and impact on students' physical and mental health development. The school P&H program not only conveys to teachers and students the knowledge and training skills to improve school sports and enhance physical fitness but also fully develops the awareness and ability of teachers and students to work hard and collaborate with each other. This paper examines and analyzes the problems and dilemmas associated with the pursuit of health and sport-specific intensity in school sports and combines theories of health and exercise, physical education, training, and moral education through literature review, logical analysis, and value analysis. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the different logics and orientations of specific sport intensity regulations, school sport health pursuits, and school sport teaching and to clarify and correct related issues, so as to provide theoretical and practical support for school sport to better implement the concept of “health first” and further promote school sport reform and sound development. In this paper, we analyze the relationship between exercise and health in physical education programs of teachers and schools from the perspective of natural dialectics and find out some outstanding problems that may exist in them, so as to effectively promote the development of students' physical and mental health.