The Monster Study: A Monstrous, Degrading Experiment
- codeofcures
- Feb 15
- 2 min read
Written by Crystal Kong and Chloe Cherng, Founders of Code of Cures
The Monster Study, conducted by Wendell Johnson in 1939, was a non-consensual experiment performed on 22 orphan children in Davenport, Iowa, to understand stuttering. The study remained unpublished until a 2001 article revealed the controversial details and the lasting effects it had on a former test subject. The revelation led to a lawsuit where $925,000 were awarded to each test subject.
At the time, Johnson proposed a controversial theory: Stuttering begins not in the child’s mouth but in the parent’s ear. This idea suggests that children developed stuttering because authority figures labeled normal speech disfluencies as “stuttering,” making children anxious and self-conscious. In essence, Johnson hypothesized that negative reinforcement could contribute to the development of a speech disorder.
To test this, Johnson divided the orphans into groups. The positive therapy group was praised for their speech fluency and encouraged. The negative therapy group was criticized for making normal speech mistakes, making them feel like they had speech problems even though they did not.
Fortunately, the children did not develop the habit of stuttering. However, psychological damage such as anxiousness, reluctance to speak, and self-consciousness was very evident.
Ethical Implications
While it cannot be ignored that the study helped shape modern clinical practice, it inevitably violated fundamental bioethical principles.
Autonomy: Children were not informed and could not consent. The researchers chose an orphanage where parental consent was not possible to obtain, and provided false information to staff about the true objectives of the study.
Non-maleficence & beneficence: Researchers knowingly caused psychological harm without clear benefits to participants. They did not pay heed to the negative impacts on the participants.
Justice: Orphaned children–a vulnerable population–were exploited.
Confidentiality: Identifiable personal data about participants was later disclosed.
Outlook for the Future
The Monster Study should never be repeated, but it should not be forgotten. It helped shift speech therapy away from criticism and negative labeling, toward encouraging therapeutic approaches. It stands as a lasting warning that scientific progress cannot come at the expense of human dignity. Future research must adhere to ethical principles, ensuring that knowledge is advanced without causing harm to individuals or the environment.
Works Cited
“The Ethical Implications of the ‘Monster Study’ | Ethos.” Ethos, 2024, ethos.hku.hk/ethical-implications-of-the-monster-study.
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