Conditioning in Stuttering Therapy: Applications and Limitations. Publication No. 7

Presented are seven papers given at a conference on the application of behavior modification techniques to the treatment of stuttering. An introduction to the papers gives an overview of behavior modification. The two papers of Part I present two approaches to stuttering therapy, one of which is based on operant conditioning and the other on two-factor learning theory. Part II provides a detailed account of an operant program and also an analysis of how one therapist scrutinized and described his own unique therapy in terms of learning theory. The two approaches are evaluated in three papers of Part III which consider the whole person in the modification of stuttering behavior; problems of definition, measurement, and analysis in behavioral approaches to stuttering; and the question of how behavior modification can be integrated into psychotherapy; respectively. The final part consists of a commentary which notes differences among participants over definition, levels of awareness, and measurement. Also included is a glossary of behavior modification terms. (DB)