Stroop Effect Theory

The Stroop effect is demonstrated by the reaction time to determine a color when the color is printed in a different color’s name. Participants respond slower or make more errors when the meaning of the word is incongruent with the color of the word. Despite knowing the meaning of the word, participants showed incapability of ignoring the stimulus attribute. This reflects a clear instance of semantic interference and an unfathomed failure of selective attention (Stroop, 1935).

An interesting challenge arises when a task such as color naming is identified as both controlled and automatic, by varying the other task involved. Color naming is identified as a controlled process when the other task is word reading, but as an automatic process when the other task is shape naming. Cohen, Dunbar and McClelland (1990) proposed an alternative explanation of the Stroop effect, which does not distinguish between automatic and controlled processing. Instead, they proposed that automaticity is a range, and that Stroop interference depends on the relative degree of learning the particular tasks, not on processing speed.

The Stroop experiment by J. Ridley Stroop in 1935 was performed in order to analyze the reaction time of participant’s stimuli and desired results while also obtaining a collective result of color interference and word reading(Stroop, 1935; Lee & Chan, 2000). In the experiment three forms of the test were given, the first consisting of color patches, the second had the color words printed in black and the other was an incongruent test beaming the color did not match the color word

The aim of this experiment is to study autonomic processes by replicating the previously carried out Stroop effect by using numbers. A number of 180 random participants aged in between 18-89 were recruited to participate in this experiment. Participants were presented with a stroop experiment task sheet which consists of three parts which was the control, congruent and incongruent conditions. Time was taken and recorded for each participant to say out the number of stars in the control condition and to say out the number of numbers in the congruent and incongruent conditions. Based on the results, participants took a considerably longer time to say the number of number in the incongruent condition than in the congruent condition.

This experiment investigated the Stroop effect comparing response times between naming colour ink printed in colour-associated words and colour neutral words. Previous research of two-process theories which support Stroop's studies [cited in Edgar:2007] found that automatic processes can interfere with controlled processes. To test this interference further, colour-associated words were employed. Results of this experiment show a statistically significant difference in condition response times, with naming the colour ink printed in colour-associated words taking longer than those in colour

The research assessed in this article discusses the Stroop effect. The Stroop effect occurs when our selective attention fails and we are unable to attend to some information and ignore the rest. This study tests the Stroop effect by presenting the participant with a congruent or incongruent word and the participant is asked to type the color of the word or the actual word in a series of trials. In this research, it has been found that participants had faster reaction times for congruent items and slower reaction times for incongruent items. In addition, participants had faster reaction times when

Early studies have widely researched attention with selective processing (Driver, 2001). Broadbent (1958) filter theory of attention states that certain information does not require focal attention. It is based on certain stimulus attributes such as colour and shape (Friedenberg, 2012). A previous study carried out by Treisman and Schmidt (1982) proposes that when attention is diverted from a display of several figures, the participants incorrectly combine the features of colour and shape therefore increases the illusory conjunctions portrayed by the participants (Tsal, 1989). Another study by Shaw (1978) found that reaction time of participant to identify targets varied with the probability that a target would appear in a particular display location. These results indicate that different amounts of attention towards the targets are distributed to different positions in the visual field. However, Houck and Hoffman (1986) found that the feature integration of colour and orientation can sometimes be accomplished without attention (James et al.,

If the reaction time between the stimulus and the response increases when the colour of the word and the word itself are not the same, then the reaction time would decrease when the word and the colour of the word are the same. The Stroop effect is an observable way to view the difficulties the brain has in identifying conflicting sensory information. The conflicting sensory data that people are given will affect the time of their responses and impact on their ability to read the information out correctly and fluently.

These results mean that there was a big difference in reaction times during the trials that were more difficult in that they required more thought and attention to complete, and the trials that were simpler to complete. When the student’s attention was divided when the task required them to multitask, their reaction times became

The revolutionary study by, Stroop (1935) used 5 different colors; purple, brown, green, blue, and red in a color-word naming task. Subjects had to say the color of the word while it was printed in different color ink. For example, the word “blue” would be written in the color red. They first did this using the colored words and then repeated the process with the words printed in black. They found that the colored word condition suggested a 2.3s longer reaction time than the black word condition. This is due to the inference of automatic word reading in the color word condition.

The processes of thought have been investigated for so long. Psychologists have investigated the brain’s involvement in the speed of processing information whether it is relevant or irrelevant. The two brain areas involved in the executive function of speed processing is the anterior cingulate and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This study compares the phenomenon of speed processing with the evidence from past research among Stroop(1935), Windes(1968), Macleod(1991) and a number of others. Through the years the Stroop study has been used as the framework on demonstrating the phenomenon of speed processing involving relevant and irrelevant information. Windes’ study has elaborated on reaction times of subjects for quantity naming and numeral naming. Macleod’s study ermphasized similarities and differences among many hypotheses; collaborating Stroop’s study. His study evaluates the pilosophical positions that arose from Stroop those of which include the relative speed of processing and automaticity.

In 1953, Cherry published several experiments on recognition of speech. This was the first work to address the “cocktail party problem,” how humans are able to recognize what one person is saying while others are talking simultaneously (Cherry, 1953, p. 976). Cherry’s research introduced a problem of recognition: how humans separate speech. This research played a role in Broadbent’s early theory for a mechanical model for attention and immediate attention. Broadbent designed a mechanical model to express the verbal theories of attention and immediate memory. Cherry’s findings are reflected in the immediate memory model. An experiment conducted by Treisman and Riley sought to test effects of attention in competing verbal sensory tasks.

The “Stroop Test” or “Stroop Effect”, gets its unique name from Dr. John Ridley Stroop; in the 1930’s. The Stroop effect, charts a person’s reaction time to the task; these results will show the nature of the individual automatic processing versus their conscious visual control. The Stroop Effect involves positively identifying the color of the word listed instead of the word itself; as fast as possible. The test is based on two types of trails; congruent when words and colors match and incongruent when the words and colors do not match. The Stroop Test is a test that examines ones’ cognitive skills and level. According to Zaps, cognitive tests examine cognition, which is the mental activity that includes thinking and the understanding

J. Ridley Stroop (1935) investigated the response of the brain through the Stroop Effect, and attention fails as two cognitive processes conflicting each other. Stroop (1935) asked students to read off lists in two types of conditions; the congruent condition (NC test), which consisted of solid colored squares and a condition with in-congruent word colored pairs (NCWd Test). For example, in the in-congruent condition the word “Green” would be printed in red ink. Stroop found that the students had a slower reaction rate in the NCWd Test than the NC test, due to the word interfering with the ability to focus on the colors (Green, n.d.). His results suggest that the ability to quickly perceive words can conflict with the processing of

The revolutionary study by, Stroop (1935) used 5 different colors; purple, brown, green, blue, and red in a color-word naming task. Subjects had to say the color of the word while it was printed in different color ink. For example, the word “blue” would be written in the color red. They first did this using the colored words and then repeated the process with the words printed in black. They found that the colored word condition suggested a 2.3s longer reaction time than the black word condition. This is due to the inference of automatic word reading in the color word condition.