Truly A Monster Study

An experiment performed in 1939 by Wendell Johnson has been nicknamed “The Monster Study” due to the horrific procedure involved and complete absence of any form of ethical experimentation. In order to test the effects of speech therapy, Johnson and one of his graduate students Mary Tudor collected 22 orphans to test. They divided the orphans into two groups: one that would be praised for their speech fluency and another group that would receive negative therapy. In this group therapy, the orphans would be told they had severe stuttering problems and that they mispronounced almost every word. Tudor attempted to belittle the children and make them increasingly self-conscious of their “problem”. Many of the orphans involved in the study had no stuttering problems whatsoever. One group of non-stutterers was told that they had the beginnings of a speech problem and that if they could not talk correctly, they should not talk at all.
The emotional abuse of these clear speaking children manifested itself into a complete reluctance to speak and increased self-consciousness. These psychological scares often have proven to be life-long. One orphan Norma Jean Pugh was “regarded as a misfit after she developed a stutter…she now lives as a recluse” (www.psych.stanford.edu). This is just one example of how unethical experiments can cause a huge impact on the lives of the subjects. Although an experiment that lasts only a week seems harmless, the damaging effects can sometimes never be erased. Even though there were not clear-cut ethical laws in place, I am extremely shocked that at the most basic human level, no one stepped in. A study on orphan children already appears inhumane. I am constantly appalled at the lack of heart science continues to demonstrate to the world. It is this concept that makes me doubt further advancement in technologies and genetic modification.

Thanks to:
http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~bigopp/stutter2.html
http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/03/07/11b.php