In psychology, the Stroop effect is a demonstration of interference in the reaction time of a task. When a word such as blue, green, red, etc. is printed in a color differing from the color expressed by the word's semantic meaning (e.g. the word "red" printed in blue ink), a delay occurs in the processing of the word's color, leading to slower test reaction times and an increase in mistakes. The effect is named after its discoverer, John Ridley Stroop, and was first noted in an article Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in 1935; and since then it has been one of the most cited papers in the history of experimental psychology. Psychology (from Greek: ψυχή, psukhē, spirit, soul; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is an academic / applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior of humans and animals. ... Reaction time, in humans, is the elapsed time between the receiving of stimuli and the subsequent reaction. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... John Ridley Stroop (1897-1973) was an American psychologist. ... We dont have an article called Journal of Experimental Psychology Start this article Search for Journal of Experimental Psychology in. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... Experimental psychology is an approach to psychology that treats it as one of the natural sciences, and therefore assumes that it is susceptible to the experimental method. ...

In his experiment, Stroop administered several variations of two main tests. Stroop referred to his tests as RCN, to stand for "Reading Color Names", where participants were required to repeat the written meaning of words with differing colored fonts, and NCW, to stand for "Naming Colored Words", in which participants were asked to verbally identify the color of each printed color name. Additionally Stroop tested his participants at different stages of practice with each task, to account for the effects of association. In music, variation is a formal technique where material is altered during repetition; reiteration with changes. ...

Stroop identified a large increase on the time taken by participants to complete the NCW (Naming Colored Words) tasks, an effect still pronounced despite continued practice at each task. This interference is thought to have been caused by the automation of reading, where the mind automatically determines the semantic meaning of the word, and then must override this first impression with the identification of the color of the word, a process which is not automatized. Edith Kaplan's group (developer of the Delis-Kaplan neuropsychological test battery) developed the task further by separating the task into four stages: naming color fields, congruent color words, incongruent color words, and combined. The additional strain on the executive function of the brain allows for a more precise diagnosis. Reading is a process of retrieving and comprehending some form of stored information or ideas. ... In general, semantics (from the Greek semantikos, or significant meaning, derived from sema, sign) is the study of meaning, in some sense of that term. ... Edith Kaplan is a respected pioneer of neuropsychological tests who did most of her work in the Boston area. ... Neuropsychological tests are specifically designed tasks used to measure a psychological function known to be linked to a particular brain structure or pathway. ... The executive system is a theorised cognitive system in psychology that controls and manages other cognitive processes. ... Italic text // ahh addiing sum spiice iin hurr`` For other uses, see Brain (disambiguation). ...

The Stroop task is also employed to study frontal function and attention in brain imaging studies. Speaking is not possible in the scanner because it moves the head, so a number theme is often used instead. For instance, three words may be displayed that read "two" and the participant must press three on their button box. Another variant is to present emotional pictures in the scanner (again using the number paradigm) to determine their effect on frontal inhibition. This is especially useful in studying post-traumatic stress disorder. Attention is the cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things. ... Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain severe psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful events that the person experiences as highly traumatic. ...

Since its development, the Stroop task, a measure of the effect of interference on performance of a color identification task, has utilized the Stroop effect to investigate aspects of such varied psychological disorders as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Anorexia. EEG and fMRI studies of the Stroop effect have revealed selective activation of the anterior cingulate cortex during a stroop task, a prefrontal structure (see frontal lobe) in the brain which is hypothesized to be responsible for conflict monitoring. J. Ridley Stroop's original word color identification test has additionally been modified to include other sensory modalities and variables. DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ... For the symphonic black metal band, see Anorexia Nervosa (band) For other uses, see Anorexia Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes an eating disorder characterized by low body weight and body image distortion with an obsessive fear of gaining weight. ... EEG can mean: Electroencephalography - the method and science of recording and interpreting traces of brain electrical activity as recorded from the skull surface or the device used to record such traces Emperor Entertainment Group - A Hong Kong entertainment company. ... Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (or fMRI) describes the use of MRI to measure hemodynamic signals related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. ... The cingulate cortex is a part of the brain situated in the medial aspect of the cortex. ... The frontal lobe is an area in the brain of vertebrates. ... In semiotics, modality refers to the particular way in which the information is to be encoded for presentation to humans, i. ...

In synesthetes

A similar effect has been observed in individuals with grapheme-color synesthesia - people who perceive colors when seeing certain numbers and letters. If a number or letter is presented to such an individual in a color other than what they would perceive, there is a delay in determining what color the character actually is. According to V.S. Ramachandran and Edward M. Hubbard: How someone with grapheme → color synesthesia might perceive (not see) certain letters and numbers. ... Vilayanur S. Ramachandran is the director of the Center for Brain and Cognition. ...

"If the number has a different color than the one the synesthesia evokes--a green 5, instead of the synesthetic red, for example--it takes slightly longer for the synesthete to name the color. The induced color delays the ability to report the real color. This effect, called Stroop interference, shows that the color associations are automatic."^[1]

Stroop effect in popular culture

The Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! software program, produced by Ryūta Kawashima for the Nintendo DS portable video game system, contains an automated Stroop Test administrator module, translated into game forms. RyÅ«ta Kawashima RyÅ«ta Kawashima ) (born May 23, 1959) is the Japanese neuroscientist who was made famous because of his appearance in the Nintendo DS game Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day. ... // Manufacturer Nintendo Product family Nintendo DS Type Handheld game console Generation Seventh generation era First available NA November 21, 2004 JP December 2, 2004 AU February 24, 2005 EU March 11, 2005 ZH July 23, 2005 Connectivity Wi-Fi and Local Wireless Online service Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, LAN Units... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ...

A Nova episode used the Stroop Effect to illustrate the subtle changes of the mental flexibility of Mt Everest Climbers in relation to altitude. [1] Nova is a popular science television series from the USA produced by WGBH and can be seen on PBS and in more than 100 countries. ...

A Perplex City card (#043) entitled "Use your Anterior Cingulate" asks who discovered this phenomenon. Perplex City is a long-term alternate reality game (ARG) presented by Mind Candy, a London-based development team. ...

References

1. ^ Ramachandran, V.S. and Edward M. Hubbard. "More Common Questions about Synesthesia". Scientific American online. April 14, 2003. URL accessed 2007-03-12.

External links

• John Ridley Stroop, Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions from Classics in the History of Psychology.
• Demonstration and definition of the Stroop effect.
• Interactive JavaScript Demonstration of Stroop effect.
• Online game based on Stroop effect.