Experiment 03

STROOP EFFECT

Problem Statement

To demonstrate the Stroop experiment by designing the Stroop Effect Experiment.

Introduction

The Stroop effect (sometimes called the Stroop test) is an outcome of our mental
(attentional) vitality and flexibility. The effect is related to the ability of most people to read
words more quickly and automatically than they can name colors. If a word is displayed in a
color different from the color it actually names; for example, if the word green is written in blue
ink, then we have a hard time in noticing the blue ink. In this instance, even when asked to name
the color of the ink, we tend to say the name the word represents. John Ridley Stroop first
reported this effect in his Ph.D. dissertation published in 1935.

John Ridley Stroop reported that:

1. When the meaning of the word and its color are congruent, such as the world “BLUE”
written in blue color, it is easy to recognize the actual color of the word. But, when the
meaning of the word is incongruent with the color, such as “BLUE” written in red color,
it creates conflict between the color and the word’s meaning.
2. The conflict arises between two brain processes i.e., word-recognition and color-
recognition. This conflict requires extra processing time for the brain to resolve the
conflict.
3. It turns out that we are so fluent in our language that word recognition is slightly
faster/stronger than color-recognition and most people recognize the meaning of the word
before recognizing the color.
4. In order to name the color correctly, the two processes compete for the final decision-
making process and the brain has to inhibit the faster/stronger word-recognition process
in order to allow the color recognition to win in the final response. This inhibition
requires selective attention (attentional focus) to inhibit the competing conflicting
process.
5. The reaction time is an indicator of the attentional process in the brain.
Two different theories have been proposed to explain the Stroop effect:

 Selective Attention Theory: According to this theory, naming the actual color of the
words requires much more attention that simply reading the text.

 Speed of Processing Theory: According to this theory, people can read words much
faster than they can name colors. The speed at which we read makes it much more
difficult to name the color of the word.

Hypothesis:

The subjects will take more time to name the color of the words that differ from their
written meaning as compared to naming the color of the words that match their written meaning.

Variables:

Independent Variable: The Stroop Test

Dependent Variable: The time taken by the subjects to name the color of the words i.e.,
the reaction time

Materials

 The Stroop tests

 Paper and pencil to note the responses
 Stop watch

Experimenter’s Particulars:

Name: _____________

Age: _______________

Gender: ____________

Education: __________

Subject’s Particulars

1st Experimental Condition 2nd Experimental Condition Control Condition

Name: _____________ Name: _____________ Name: _____________

 Age: _______________ Age: _______________ Age: _______________

Gender: ____________ Gender: ____________ Gender: ____________

Education: __________ Education: __________ Education: __________

Experimental Design

Make necessary arrangements before starting the experiment. The most important step in
conducting this experiment is to prepare the Stroop tests for different experimental conditions.
Three subjects will be required to complete this experiment, one in control condition while the
other two subjects in experimental conditions. To conduct this experiment, three Stroop tests will
be prepared. In the Stroop test for the control group, the meaning of the word and its color will
be congruent such as the world “RED” written in red color. The Stroop test for the first
experimental condition will be prepared in such as a way that the meaning of the word will be
incongruent with its color such as “BLUE” written in red color. While, the Stroop test prepared
for the second experimental condition will have random words that do not relate with the colors
such as “DOG”, “BOAT”, “CHAIR”, etc.

After preparing the Stroop tests, three subjects will be requested to participate in this
experiment. The subjects will be presented with the Stroop test and they will be instructed to say
the color of the word, not what the word says. For example, for the word, RED, the subject will
have to say "Blue." The errors made by the subjects and the time taken by them to complete the
test will be noted. After completing the experiment, the subjects will be thanked for their
cooperation.

Procedure

Necessary arrangements were made for the experiment such as preparing the Stroop Test.
Three different Stroop tests will be prepared, one for the control group, while the other for the
two experimental conditions. Three subjects were requested to participate in the experiment. The
subject in the control group was presented with the Stroop test and s/he was instructed to say the
colors of the words that match their written meaning. The time taken and the errors made by the
subject in the control condition were noted. After completing the experiment with the subject in
the control condition, the same procedure was repeated with the subjects in the experimental
conditions. The subject in the first experimental condition was instructed to say the colors of the
words that differ from their written meaning, while the subject in the second experimental
condition was instructed to say the colors of the random words that do not relate to colors. The
time taken and the errors made by the subjects in the experimental conditions were also noted by
the experimenter. After completing the experiment, the subjects were thanked for their
cooperation.

Results

The results are represented in the table 1.

Conclusion:

The hypothesis “the subjects will take more time to name the color of the words that
differ from their written meaning as compared to naming the color of the words that match their
written meaning” is proven right.

List of Tables

Table # 01

Experimental Condition Time (in seconds) Number of

Errors

Control Condition

First Experimental Condition

Second Experimental Condition