Identification of cluttering and stuttering by the public in four countries

Abstract

The investigators sought to explore and compare the identification of cluttering vs stuttering in four different country samples. After reading lay definitions of the two fluency disorders in their own language, convenience samples of 60-90 adult respondents from Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia, and the US identified 51-119 children or adults who either cluttered, stuttered, or both. They also indicated whether or not they, themselves, cluttered or stuttered. The majority of respondents in all four samples identified at least one person who cluttered, stuttered, or cluttered and stuttered. The average respondent identified one person with a fluency disorder, most likely a stutterer, less likely a clutterer, and least likely a clutterer-stutterer. Both similarities and differences characterized those identified in the three groups, e.g., the sex ratios were not the same. As with stuttering, the public apparently is aware of cluttering individuals and can identify such persons.