Time-Out as a Punishment for Stuttering

Abstract

The effects of making time-out from positive reinforcement (TO) contingent upon stuttering were studied in four adult stutterers. The theoretical basis of the study revolved around the notion that speaking is self-reinforcing, and that making TO from speaking contingent upon a specific response will decrease the frequency of that response. The general experimental procedure was one in which subjects spoke spontaneously and a red light was illuminated for 10 seconds contingent upon each stuttering. Subjects were not allowed to speak while the light was illuminated. All four subjects evidenced a marked decrease in stuttering frequency during TO sessions. Some extinction of the suppression effect was observed during those sessions in which TO was removed.