Individual differences in the production of disfluency: A latent variable analysis of memory ability and verbal intelligence

Abstract

Recent work has begun to focus on the role that individual differences in executive function and intelligence have on the production of fluent speech. However, isolating the underlying causes of different types of disfluency has been difficult given the speed and complexity of language production. In this study, we focused on the role of memory abilities and verbal intelligence, and we chose a task that relied heavily on memory for successful performance. Given the task demands, we hypothesised that a substantial proportion of disfluencies would be due to memory retrieval problems. We contrasted memory abilities with individual differences in verbal intelligence as previous work highlighted verbal intelligence as an important factor in disfluency production. A total of 78 participants memorised and repeated 40 syntactically complex sentences, which were recorded and coded for disfluencies. Model comparisons were carried out using hierarchical structural equation modelling. Results showed that repetitions were significantly related to verbal intelligence. Unfilled pauses and repairs, in contrast, were marginally ( p < .09) related to memory abilities. The relationship in all cases was negative. Conclusions explore the link between different types of disfluency and particular problems arising in the course of production, and how individual differences inform theoretical debates in language production.

Associations between stuttering, comorbid conditions and executive function in children: a population-based study

“…EF components while core to the development of self-regulation, socioemotional competence, and academic achievement are also crucial for fluency [ 62 , 63 ]. Typically developing children and adults with higher WM capacity produce more utterances and lower rates of disfluencies (e.g., part-word repetitions, revisions) during spontaneous speech and reading compared to their peers with lower WM capacity [ 63 – 65 ]. Conditions of divided attention where participants perform concurrent tasks result in higher frequency of repetitions and interjections compared to non-divided attention (e.g., speech only) tasks [ 66 ].…”

Disfluency patterns in Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration

“…Additionally, future work is required to analyse disfluency production together with executive functioning in bvFTLD. Indeed, several studies insisted on the role of executive function on discourse production, including disfluency production (Engelhardt, McMullon, & Corley 2018;Engelhardt et al, 2010). While the current study focused on the links between discourse production and language performance, links with executive function need to be further investigated to disentangle the different causes leading to disfluency in bvFTLD.…”

Can object identification difficulty be predicted based on disfluencies and eye-movements in connected speech?

“…For example, some authors stressed the role of individual differences in executive function and verbal intelligence on the fluency of speech. In particular, [10] found that repetitions were significantly related to individual differences in verbal intelligence, while silent pauses and selfcorrections were marginally related to working memory measures. However, these studies did not focus on a specific level of the language production system and it is therefore not clear whether each stage relies on nonverbal cognitive abilities.…”