Phonological Processing of Young Children who Stutter: Prelimary Behavioural/ERP Findings

Hayley S. Arnold, Kia N. Hartfield, Edward G. Conture, Courtney T. Byrd,
Alexandra Key, Sarah E. Mathiesen and Christine E. Coulter

This study examined effects of holistic/incremental phonological priming on picture naming (Byrd, Conture & Ohde, 2005) in children who do (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) using behavioral and psychophysiological (event-related potential, ERP) measures. Participants were 3- to 6-year-old CWS and age- and gender-matched CWNS. Preliminary results indicate that prime type differences affect speech-reaction time (SRT) and picture-naming accuracy in CWS and CWNS. ERP analyses identified early (100-200ms) and late (approx. 450 ms) components reflecting prime-specific differences associated with phonological processing of picture naming.