In this chapter, the emotional impact of the unethical Monster Study conducted by Wendell Johnson is discussed. It reveals the deep emotional scars left on the participants and highlights how the study disproved Johnson's own theory while showing the damaging effects of labeling vulnerable children as stutterers. The chapter also touches on possible criticism and ethical oversight surrounding the study, as well as its aftermath.
With relatively benign intentions, Wendell Johnson devised an experiment that would go on to be dubbed the Monster Study, inflicting terrible harm on a group of vulnerable and unsuspecting children.