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14.13: Stroop Interference

  • Page ID
    29007
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    Learning Objectives

    • Strrop Interference demonstration


    Research conducted by

    Statistics Class

    Case study prepared by

    David Lane

    Overview

    Naming the ink color of color words can be difficult. For example, if asked to name the color of the word "blue" is difficult because the answer (red) conflicts with the word "blue." This interference is called "Stroop Interference" after the researcher who first discovered the phenomenon.

    This case study is a classroom demonstration. Students in an introductory statistics class were each given three tasks. In the "words" task, students read the names of \(60\) color words written in black ink; in the "color" task, students named the colors of \(60\) rectangles; in the "interference" task, students named the ink color of \(60\) conflicting color words. The times to read the stimuli were recorded. There were \(31\) female and \(16\) male students.

    Questions to Answer

    Is naming conflicting color names faster or slower than naming color rectangles? Which is faster, naming color rectangles or reading color names? Are there gender differences?

    Design Issues

    This was not a well-controlled experiment since it was just a classroom demonstration. The order in which the students performed the tasks may not have been counterbalanced or randomized.

    Descriptions of Variables

    Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Description of Variables
    Variable
    Description
    Gender 1 for female, 2 for male
    Words Time in seconds to read 60 color words
    Colors Time in seconds to name 60 color rectangles
    Interfer Time in seconds to name colors of conflicting words

    Data Files

    Stroop.xls

    Full text of the above reference.

    References

    • Stroop, J.R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 28, 643-662.

    This page titled 14.13: Stroop Interference is shared under a Public Domain license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by David Lane via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

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