Why do some people STUTTER more with strangers, and others STUTTER more with family and friends? NEW research study: "Characteristics of attentional focus of movement among adults who stutter" (2024)

Why do some people STUTTER more with strangers, and others STUTTER more with family and friends? NEW research study: "Characteristics of attentional focus of movement among adults who stutter" (2024) *This new research about stuttering came out 6 days ago.* **Research study**: "*Characteristics of attentional focus of movement among adults who stutter*" (2024) **Link**: [https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5627](https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5627) (FREE [pdf](https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5627/99193548196)) **Abstract:** Certain conditions are known to eliminate stuttering immediately. These conditions are referred to as fluency-inducing conditions, and they infer abnormalities of attentional characteristics among people who stutter. The aims of this study were to elucidate how the motor performance of stutterers is influenced by attentional foci: external focus of attention and internal focus of attention. A typing task involving sequential key pressing was conducted under the external focus and internal focus conditions among 13 adults who stutter and 12 matched control adults who do not stutter. Typing accuracy and typing speed were analyzed. The results revealed that the typing speed was significantly lower under the internal focus condition than the external focus condition in both groups, indicating that internal focus reduces the efficiency of finger movement compared to external focus. Moreover, for adults who stutter, typing accuracy also decreased significantly under the internal focus condition. It is speculated that adults who stutter are more vulnerable to disruptions in motor control under internal focus conditions than adults who do not stutter. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed. **Key Findings:** Attentional Focus Compliance * Subjects reported high self-evaluation rates for both internal focus (IF) and external focus (EF) conditions, indicating that participants were able to follow attentional instructions effectively. * No significant differences were observed in attentional compliance between adults who stutter (AWS) and adults who do not stutter (ANS), suggesting both groups can direct their attention as instructed. Typing Speed and Accuracy * No significant difference in typing speed was found between AWS and ANS. However, typing speed decreased under IF conditions for both groups, aligning with previous research indicating that EF conditions lead to more efficient motor performance. * ANS's typing accuracy remained consistent across attentional conditions, while AWS showed significantly more errors under IF conditions. This suggests AWS are more susceptible to disruptions in motor control under IF conditions, despite a general decrease in typing speed to possibly enhance accuracy. Neurophysiological Perspectives * Previous studies have shown increased activation in sensory and motor regions (e.g., primary motor cortex, somatosensory cortex) under EF conditions, suggesting enhanced sensory integration is crucial for motor tasks. * Although previous research indicates abnormalities in sensorimotor integration in people who stutter, the present study found no differences in motor performance under EF conditions between AWS and ANS. This challenges the notion of general sensorimotor integration issues in AWS, possibly due to the visual (rather than auditory) stimuli used in this study. **Clinical interventions:** * Current speech restructuring treatments for stuttering often involve an internal focus on articulatory movements. However, to enhance performance efficiency, it might be more beneficial for speech therapists to encourage an external focus of attention. **Conclusions:** To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, this is the first study to clarify the effect of attentional foci on movement control among people who stutter. According to the results, people who stutter exhibited significantly slower and more inaccurate movement of fingers under the IF condition compared to people who do not stutter. Since the present results are of clinical relevance, future research on speech motor control among people who stutter is promising. The study highlights the importance of attentional focus in motor tasks, particularly for AWS, and suggests that an external focus may improve motor performance and could be beneficial in speech therapy for stuttering. Future research should investigate specific instructions and methods for implementing EF in therapeutic settings, including the potential role of auditory stimuli in EF conditions.