Extraversion and communication attitude in people who stutter: A preliminary study

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between the personality trait extraversion and the communication attitude in people who stutter (PWS). Method: Thirty PWS completed Erickson's Communication Attitude Scale (S-24) (. Andrews & Cutler, 1974) as well as a Dutch adaptation of the extraversion scale of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (. Hoekstra, Ormel, & Fruyt, 1996). Results: The communication attitude scores correlated significantly with the extraversion scores: PWS with a more negative communication attitude were more introvert and PWS with a more positive attitude were more extravert. Conclusion: This result suggests that the S-24 is not only sensitive to communication attitude in relation to speech impairment, but also to the respondent's degree of extraversion. Consequently, assessment of communication attitude needs to be re-thought so as to take personality factors into account.Educational. Objectives: Readers should be able to: (a) describe the difference between temperament and personality; (b) describe what the S-24 Communication Attitude Scale measures in PWS; (c) describe how the personality trait extraversion may influence the communication attitude in PWS; (d) describe how the extraversion scale is correlated to the communication attitude scale according to the authors of this article.