Is what I think I think really what I think? Implicit and explicit attitudes toward stuttering among practicing speech-language pathologists.

PURPOSE

Two studies assessed implicit (Study 1) and explicit (Study 2) attitudes toward stuttering and those who stutter among speech-language pathologists (SLPs).

METHOD

In Study 1, 15 SLPs completed the Stuttering Implicit Association Test, a measure of implicit attitudes toward stuttered speech. In Study 2, 40 SLPs provided explicit attitudes about individuals who stutter, assessed via self-report ratings of an adult who stutters and one who does not. Participants also completed measures of experience with stuttering.

RESULTS

As a group, clinicians displayed negative implicit attitudes toward stuttering. Explicit attitudes toward a person who stutters were positive, albeit less positive than attitudes toward a person who does not stutter. Amount of prior exposure to stuttering among these experienced SLPs was not significantly associated with either implicit or explicit attitudes.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the importance of evaluating both implicit and explicit attitudes toward stuttering. The finding of positive explicit attitudes but negative implicit attitudes among similar samples of SLPs underscores the need to study implicit attitudes toward stuttering. Considering only explicit attitudes could lead to incomplete conclusions about the complex nature of attitudes toward stuttering.