Information Processing Biases in Adults Who Stutter

NCT06422442 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: R21DC020557
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine whether stuttering is associated with a tendency to attend more quickly or for longer durations to threat-related information in the environment (threat-related attention bias). The main questions it aims to answer are: Do adults who stutter, relative to adults who do not stutter, attend to threat-related stimuli more than neutral information? Are attentional biases observed across different types of threat or are they specific to threats related to stuttering experiences? Do measures of attention bias explain individual differences in psychological reactions among adults who stutter?

Conditions

Stuttering, Adult

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Reaction time (RT) measures

  A) A key outcome measure from the dot-probe task will consist of RTs for congruent trials (in which probe appears in the location of threat stimulus) vs. incongruent trials (probe replaces neutral stimulus). (B) Key outcome measure from the emotional Stroop will include RT for threat vs. neutral words.

  Trial duration (maximum of 10 seconds)

• Total dwell time on threat

  This primary (and most reliable) index of AB will be extracted from eye movement data and represents the total duration of all fixations to areas of interest with threat stimuli for each trial of the free-viewing task.

  Trial duration (8 seconds)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Eye tracking indices of AB

  Trial duration (8 seconds)

Study Arms (1)

Eye tracking tasks

EXPERIMENTAL

All participants complete three tasks in which they view threat-related and neutral stimuli (words or faces)

Behavioral: Threat-related stimulus exposure

Interventions

Threat-related stimulus exposure BEHAVIORAL

Participants will view threat-related stimuli (words or faces) paired with nonthreat matches in three related experimental paradigms.

Eye tracking tasks

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Speaks English as their primary language
• Normal hearing (based on pure tone screening)
• Normal or corrected vision (based on report)
• Normal color vision (based on Ishihara Test, Concise Edition)
• Nonverbal intelligence within at least average range based on Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, 4th Edition
• Expressive language within at least average range score based on Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Test
• Self-identification as a person who stutters
• Score of at least 11 (mild stuttering) on Stuttering Severity Index, 4th Edition

You may not qualify if:

• Reported significant medical history
• Psychological or emotional disorder
• History of frank neurological injury
• Known speech, language, or learning disorder(s) other than stuttering
• Reading difficulties
• Score within clinically significant range for ADHD on Adults ADHD Self-Rating Scale
• Score within clinically significant range for depression on Beck Depression Inventory
• Score within clinically significant range for anxiety on State-Trait Anxiety Inventory

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Memphis: lead
• University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee, 38152, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stuttering

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Speech Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Masking Details: Individuals reviewing and coding data will not be aware of group status or diagnoses for participants.
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 13, 2024
• First Posted: May 21, 2024
• Study Start: September 11, 2023
• Primary Completion: October 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: May 21, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)