Extraversion and communication attitude in people who stutter: A preliminary study.

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between the personality trait extraversion and the communication attitude in people who stutter (PWS).

METHOD

Thirty PWS completed Erickson's Communication Attitude Scale (S-24) (Andrews & Cutler, 1974) as well as a Dutch adaptation of the extraversion scale of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (Hoekstra, Ormel, & Fruyt, 1996).

RESULTS

The communication attitude scores correlated significantly with the extraversion scores: PWS with a more negative communication attitude were more introvert and PWS with a more positive attitude were more extravert.

CONCLUSION

This result suggests that the S-24 is not only sensitive to communication attitude in relation to speech impairment, but also to the respondent's degree of extraversion. Consequently, assessment of communication attitude needs to be re-thought so as to take personality factors into account.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Readers should be able to: (a) describe the difference between temperament and personality; (b) describe what the S-24 Communication Attitude Scale measures in PWS; (c) describe how the personality trait extraversion may influence the communication attitude in PWS; (d) describe how the extraversion scale is correlated to the communication attitude scale according to the authors of this article.