Lab Report: Stroop Experiment

By: Bird, T & Jay

Class: Foundation of Cognition

September 9, 2023
 Background

The Stroop experiment is a classic study in cognitive psychology. It has shown us great insight

into the nature and relationship of automatic processes and control processes of cognition.

Various subsequent studies continue to show new insights on top of the foundation of the

original study.

The task of the experiment itself has not changed between different experiments too much.

Participants in the experiments are presented with colored words and the experimenter then ask

the participants the color while ignoring the written word. The Stroop effect occurs when the

meaning of the word is incongruent with the name of the color, this results in a slower response

time, and increased error rate for the incongruent trials as compared to the congruent trials.

The original study was done in 1935 by Stroop himself. In this original study, participants were

presented with colored words printed on different colored ink. The results showed that the

participants who were in the incongruent trial displayed a slower reaction time compared to the

congruent trial group. This study suggests that the automatic process that occurs when we are

reading, the meaning of the word is interrupted or interfered with by a controlled process of

naming the ink or the color.

Another interesting study of the Stroop effect was done by McLeod (1991). The additional

element studied in his investigation was the role of the attentional processes in the Stroop effect.

Participants in this study were asked to perform the Stroop task under different manipulations of
 their attention. Selective attention and divided attention were some controlled processes

introduced in the study. The result has shown that the Stroop effect was reduced under the

condition of divided attention giving rise to the hypothesis that attention plays an interfering role

in the relationship between natural and controlled processes of cognition.

Individual differences in the Stroop Effect have also been explored. For example, Bialystok

(2006) investigated the impact of bilingualism on the Stroop Effect. The results showed that

bilingual participants were less affected by the Stroop Effect compared to monolingual

participants, suggesting that bilingualism may enhance cognitive control processes. Age-related

changes in the Stroop Effect have also been studied.

In a study by West and Alain (2000), younger and older adults were asked to perform the Stroop

task. The results showed that older adults were more affected by the Stroop Effect compared to

younger adults, suggesting that aging may impact cognitive control processes.

Finally, a recent study by Egner and Hirsch (2005) investigated the neural mechanisms

underlying the Stroop Effect. Using fMRI, the researchers found that the anterior cingulate

cortex (ACC) was more active during incongruent trials compared to congruent trials. This

finding suggests that the ACC plays a role in detecting and resolving conflict between automatic

and controlled processes.

Overall, the Stroop Effect is a valuable tool for investigating the nature of automatic and

controlled processes in cognition. By understanding the mechanisms underlying the Stroop

Effect, researchers can gain insight into how attention and interference impact cognitive

processing.
 The studies mentioned above have contributed to our understanding of the Stroop Effect and its

underlying mechanisms.

Stroop's (1935) study provided the first evidence of the interference effect, while MacLeod's

(1991) study highlighted the role of attentional processes in the Stroop Effect. Bialystok's (2006)

study showed that bilingualism may enhance cognitive control processes, while West and Alain's

(2000) study suggested that aging may impact cognitive control processes. Finally, Egner and

Hirsch's (2005) study provided insight into the neural mechanisms underlying the Stroop Effect.

Despite the wealth of research on the Stroop Effect, there are still many unanswered questions.

One interesting topic is, that it is unclear how individual differences such as personality traits and

cognitive abilities, impact the Stroop Effect. Additionally, more research is needed to explore the

neural mechanisms underlying the Stroop Effect and how they interact with attentional

processes. By continuing to investigate the Stroop Effect, researchers can gain a deeper

understanding of the nature of automatic and controlled processes in cognition.

Hypothesis

If the brain's automatic response to reading the word meaning overrides the controlled process of

identifying the ink color, then participants will experience a delay in their response times when

the ink color and color name are incongruent, as opposed to when they are congruent.

Independent Variable: The experiment will manipulate the independent variable of congruency

between the ink color and the color name, with two levels: congruent and incongruent.
 Dependent Variable: The dependent variables will be accuracy and reaction times, which will

be recorded for each trial.

Procedure

First, share briefly about what the study is trying to investigate. Inform the participants about

how this experiment will proceed regarding detailed information on the hypotheses. Since the

investigation is voluntary, kindly ask the participants for their consent and inform them that it is

their right to withdraw at any time. Participants will obtain permission by pressing the 'space' key

to initiate the task.

Second, choose a quiet and suitable location for the task. For example, a site is present with no

distracting light or sound. The experimenter should prepare the device with PsychoPy running

before the participants arrive. (The device: laptop). Neatly seat the participants in front of the

computer before starting the task.

Third, let the participants read the instructions on the screen and ask the participant to notify the

experimenter when they are ready to initiate the process. Please make sure the participants

understand the task and how to complete it.

Fourth, observe the participants and observe irregular behavior from a distance. Take notes if any

inconsistent behavior occurs, such as confusion, inattention, etc.

feedback on the experiment. Such as how they feel about the task and ask them if they have any

irregularity during the investigation.

Participants

The primary purpose of this experiment is to study the relationship between congruency and

reaction times. Analyzing the data set and testing the hypotheses with a Paired-sample t-test

using the built-in program, SPSS, for Windows. The participants must not have any background

in psychology studies. Collecting the data through PsychoPy with 66 participants, 29 male and

37 female. And the average age of participants was 25.45 (SD= 7.023).

Figure 1

Participants age
 Results

An average age of participants was 25.45 (SD= 7.023). The participants can identify the ink

color significantly faster when the ink color is congruent (t(65) = 2.096, p = .04). An average

accuracy of the answer was 94.9197 (SD = 7.295).

In male participants group can identify the ink color faster when the ink color is incongruent

(t(28) = -.58, p = .556) not significant. An average accuracy of the answer was 96.6672

(SD=4.3640)
The female participants can identify the ink color significantly faster when the ink color is

congruent (t(36) = 3.204, p = .003). An average age was 25.97 (SD=7.897) An average accuracy

of the answer was 93.6049 (SD=8.7618)

Figure 2
 Figure 3

Accuracy of the answer

The frequency of the reaction time to the congruence variable

The frequency of the reaction time to incongruence variable

The Stroop Effect is a well-known phenomenon in cognitive psychology that demonstrates the

interference between automatic and controlled processes. The current study aimed to investigate

the Stroop Effect by manipulating the congruency between the ink color and the color name of

words presented on a computer screen.

incongruent condition compared to the congruent condition, indicating that the automatic process

of reading the word meaning interfered with the controlled process of identifying the ink color.

The findings of this study are consistent with previous research on the Stroop Effect and provide

further evidence for the interference between automatic and controlled processes.

One limitation of this study is that the sample size was relatively small, with only 66 participants.

This may limit the generalizability of the findings to other populations. Future research could

replicate this study with a larger sample size to increase the external validity of the results.

Despite these limitations, the current study provides valuable insights into the Stroop Effect and

its implications for cognitive psychology. The findings suggest that automatic processes can

interfere with controlled processes, which has important implications for understanding attention

and cognitive processing.

1. Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental

Psychology, 18(6): 643-662.

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1936-01863-001

2. MacLeod, C. M. (1991). Half a century of research on the Stroop effect: An integrative review.

Psychological Bulletin, 109(2): 163-203.

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-14380-001

3. West, R., & Alain, C. (2000). Age-related decline in inhibitory control contributes to the increased

Stroop effect observed in older adults. Psychophysiology, 37(2): 179-89.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12583979_Age-

related_decline_in_inhibitory_control_contributes_to_the_increased_Stroop_effect_in_older_adults

Bialystok, E. (2006). Effect of bilingualism and computer video game experience on the Simon task.

Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60(1), 68-79.

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-09123-008