Verbal versus tangible reward for children who stutter.

The results of several previous attempts to modify the speech of stuttering children suggest that tangible (as opposed to verbal) rewards are efficient forms of positive reinforcement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative effectiveness of these two forms of positive reinforcement with young stuttering subjects. Each of three stuttering children was seen for a base rate session, three experimental sessions, and a carry-over session. Experimental sessions were preceded by verbal instructions explaining the response contingency, and subjects selected their own verbal and tangible reinforcers. Results revealed that both verbal and tangible reinforcements were equally effective in modifying the speech of the three subjects. The possibility is discussed that the effectiveness of verbal and tangible rewards with young stuttering subjects can be explained by (1) selection of the rewards by the subjects; (2) reinforcement of easily identifiable behavior; and (3) subject awareness of the response contingency.