Lesson plan

Monster Study

The Monster Study was a non-consensual experiment performed on 22 orphan children in Davenport, Iowa in 1939 about stuttering. It was conducted by Wendell Johnson through the University of Iowa with the physical experiment being performed by his graduate student Mary Tudor. Wendell Johnson, a former student at the University of Iowa, dedicated his life’s work to identifying the causes of stuttering and discovering a cure. Johnson, who had a severe stutter himself, wanted to understand where it originated and how it could be stopped, largely because he had been teased throughout his life. When he began studying speech pathology, he tested his own speech patterns, and the leading theory at the time suggested that stuttering had genetic origins. Johnson, who understood the impact that early stuttering could have on a child’s mental state, once stated, “The stuttering child is a crippled child.” The study was never published, and as a result was relatively unknown until a 2001 San Jose Mercury News article conducted by an investigative reporter, Jim Dyer. He revealed the details and followed up with the former test subjects who were still living – none of whom were told it was an experiment.…

Back to article

Article summary

The Monster Study was a non-consensual experiment performed on 22 orphan children in Davenport, Iowa in 1939 about stuttering. It was conducted by Wendell Johnson through the University of Iowa with the physical experiment being performed by his graduate student Mary Tudor. Wendell Johnson, a former student at the University of Iowa, dedicated his life’s work to identifying the causes of stuttering and discovering a cure. Johnson, who had a severe stutter himself, wanted to understand where it originated and how it could be stopped, largely because he had been teased throughout his life. When he began studying speech pathology, he tested his own speech patterns, and the leading theory at the time suggested that stuttering had genetic origins. Johnson, who understood the impact that early stuttering could have on a child’s mental state, once stated, “The stuttering child is a crippled child.” The study was never published, and as a result was relatively unknown until a 2001 San Jose Mercury News article conducted by an investigative reporter, Jim Dyer. He revealed the details and followed up with the former test subjects who were still living – none of whom were told it was an experiment.…

Key claims

  1. date of death: 1965 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 2001 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  3. publication date: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of death is "1965". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "2001". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. The record states that the publication date is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
  5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1374851422

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.