The Self-Reported Roles of Executive Functions, Behavior Experiences and Locus of Control in Adults Who Stutter

Abstract

Purpose: Myriad studies have endeavored to determine why people stutter. It has been suggested that prior experiences, self-perceptions, specific cognition abilities (i.e., executive functions), and/or whether a person perceives their stuttering to be controlled internally or externally can provide insight into stuttering behaviors. What is not known is whether a relationship exists between these variables has more influence on persons who stutter than another. This preliminary study used the Locus of Control of Behavior scale (LCB; Craig et al., 1984), Overall Assessment of the Speaker’s Experience of Stuttering; (OASES; Yaruss & Quesal, 2006, Yaruss & Quesal, 2008), and the Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory, (CEFI-A-SR; Naglieri & Goldstein, 2013) to better understand what relationships, if any, exist between locus of control of behavior, stuttering experiences, and executive functions in persons with fluency disorders.

Method: A total of 116 adults who stutter completed online surveys which included demographic questions, the LCB, OASES, and CEFI-A-SR.

Results: Self-monitoring was the lone executive function scale score demonstrating a relationship to LCB and OASES scores.

Conclusions: An internal control of behavior and positive outlook on stuttering experiences as well as a sense of effective self-monitoring may be required for a person to manage stuttering behaviors effectively.