The Monster Study: A Cruel Experiment on Stuttering

The podcast episode explores the infamous 'Monster Study' conducted in the field of psychology. The study aimed to test a theory proposed by Wendell Johnson that stuttering is not a physiological problem, but a habit fixated upon by anxious parents. The experiment was conducted on 22 children in a state orphanage, with half being told that they had a stutter and the other half being told their speech was fluent. The results showed that children who were told they had a stutter experienced worsening speech, self-consciousness, and behavioral problems, while those who were told their speech was fluent showed a slight improvement. The study harmed the children involved and had no scientific validity or practical use.