Stroop Effect
Materials: ★☆☆ Easy to get from supermarket or hardware store
Difficulty: ★☆☆ Can be easily done by most teenagers
Safety: ★☆☆ Minimal safety procedures required
Categories: Senses and Perception, The Brain and Nerves, Psychology
Alternative titles: Color-Word Interference Test
Summary
The Stroop Effect is a demonstration of how conflicting information from reading and color recognition interferes with response time. When the name of a color is printed in a different color ink, people take longer to identify the ink color than to read the word itself.
Procedure
- Prepare a list of color words (e.g., RED, BLUE, GREEN) printed in mismatched ink colors (e.g., the word “RED” printed in blue ink).
- Ask participants to say the color of the ink aloud as quickly as possible, without reading the word.
- Time how long it takes participants to complete the list.
- Compare results with a control test, where color words are printed in matching ink colors.
- Optionally, test with very young children who know their colors but cannot yet read to see if they experience less interference.
Links
The Stroop Effect | Psychology Science Experiment - Science Buddies:
The Stroop Effect Experiment | Easy Activity for Kids! - Boundless Brilliance:
📄 Colors, Colors - Neuroscience for Kids: https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html
Variations
- Rotate or flip the words upside down.
- Replace color words with unrelated words (e.g., “dog,” “house”) or nonsense words.
- Use emotional words such as “happy” or “sad.”
- Test with long vs. short words.
- Color only part of each word (e.g., first and last letters).
- Try the Directional Stroop (identifying word location), Number Stroop (counting words), Animal Stroop (naming animals), or Shape Stroop (identifying shapes vs. words).
Safety Precautions
- None required.
Questions to Consider
- Why is it harder to say the color than to read the word? (Reading is an automatic process that interferes with slower color naming.)
- Which theory better explains the Stroop Effect: Speed of Processing or Selective Attention?
- Would young children who cannot read yet experience the Stroop Effect? (Likely not, because the words carry no meaning for them.)
- What does the Stroop Effect reveal about how the brain processes competing information? (It shows how automatic processes, like reading, can interfere with controlled tasks requiring more attention.)