What was the purpose of the experiment known as the Monster Study?

In 1936, Dr. Wendell Johnson conducted an experiment to find out why some children stutter. The reasoning for this was good, but the way it was carried out was so horrible, it was called The Monster Study. If this study was proposed today, it would be denied immediately, as it was very unethical and a form of child abuse.

Dr. Johnson was a speech pathologist at the University of Iowa. Having grown up with a stutter himself, he wanted to find out if it was a learned behavior or biological.

Twenty-two orphans were chosen, ranging from the age of 5 to 15. Some stuttered, some did not. The children were split into two groups. In group A, the children were told they talked fine, even if they stuttered. In group B, all the children were told they had terrible stutters and no one could understand them, even if they had no speech problem.

There was little to no effect on group A, but there was long-lasting trauma on the non-stutterers of group B. Five of these six children became withdrawn, schoolwork suffered, some stopped talking at all and one girl ran away.

It was 60 years before these children knew they were part of a study. Even as adults, it affected their lives. They were unable to talk to others and it was very difficult to make friends.

In the early 2000s, some of the victims sued the University of Iowa for emotional distress and fraudulent misrepresentation. They won the lawsuit, with over $1 million going to the victims and their estates.