National University

March 5, 2020

Stroop Task Effect on Emotion

Prof. Rita Aringo*

Dianne Jamzelle Guilalas*, Dorothy Jalandoni*, Joshua Tan*, Cathleen Villorente

ABSTRACT

The study probed if there is a significant effect on duration time of responds from colored
emotion words rather than neutral words. In the research facility, one of the most mainstream
standards to determine the impact of negative emotion on execution is the Stroop Task. The
Stroop effect normally occurs because of conflicting response while being presented with
incompatible stimuli (Goldstein, 2015), in this case with a color or the word for the color. The
Stroop effect has often been widely used for assessing conflict. In the present study, a mixed
sample of 96 students from National University in the age range 19-21 years old was taken, for
the purpose. The repeated measures SD and other analysis of the data brought out that there is
no significant effect of emotion words in contrast with neutral words during cognitive and
Emotional Stroop Task experiment. The study revealed that emotional interference impact
shows that increasingly attentional assets are apportioned towards the data and is a result of the
external factors content of the words and not the congruency of the words presented.

Keywords: Emotion, Stroop Task, Reaction time, Colored Words

Haim et al., (2016) has demonstrated that the emotional valence of the
stimulus can influence attention, specifically tweak the speed of handling. In the
research facility, one of the most mainstream standards to determine the impact of
negative emotion on execution is the Stroop Task. Colored words are exhibited
independently for view, and the participant’s task is to name the ink shade of each
word as quickly and precisely as could be expected under the circumstances. As for
Gul & Humphreys, 2015., normally, response times (RTs) to name the ink shading are
more slow when word's name is incongruent (word RED represented in blue ink)
comparative with when it is consistent with the shading name (RED represented in
red ink). The Stroop effect normally occurs because of conflicting response while
being presented with incompatible stimuli (Goldstein, 2015), in this case with a color
or the word for the color.

The emotional content of the word is said to interfere with color naming or to
grab attention, causing an individual to be slower to name the colors of those words
compared with the neutral control words (Wentura, Rothermund, & Bak, 2014).
Additionally, Stroop interference is greater when colors are perceptually linked with
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March 5, 2020

colored words, compared with when the stimuli are presented in a non-integrated
fashion.

Comparable discoveries have been found like conflict monitoring were

accounted in this kind of experiment (Zhu et al., 2018). Assessment of a wide scope
of utilitarian imaging, electrophysiological, just as anatomical information on the side
of practical isolation has driven a few creators to separate the ACC into dorsal
division for "subjective" forms and ventral division for "feeling" forms. (Li et al.,
2018). The way individuals are more critical of themselves when they have a
emotional experience is may contribute to shorter respond because of how they
acquired specific memories with them and measure the relative ease with which
words has emotional significance, and it was devised as a particular aspect of
emotional knowledge. In contrary, emotional experience may not be a contributor
because of the said interference.

Our research implicates that there is a faster reaction time when subjects are
exposed to emotion words but will have an inaccurate color naming compared to
neutral words. In the typical ESE experiment, four words are presented each in four
ink colors with each color-word combination appearing three times (Haim et al.,
2016) but with the Experiment 1 happened with 10 emotion words are presented with
10 different ink colors appearing 1 one time, however, Treatment 1 were conditioned
with another unemotional words with 10 ink colors. Emotional words yield longer
response latencies according to the structured studied because of the sustained effect
followed by neutral items. Present research will measure design to analyze
significance why participants might perform significantly slower on the colored
emotional words than colored unemotional words.

Method

Participants

Ninety-six students from National University Manila participated in the

experiment: 48 participated in Experiment 1., *Treatment 1 and 48 participated in
Experiment 1., *Treatment 2. All participants were randomly assigned by alternate
counting from 1 to 2 to form treatment groups.
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March 5, 2020

Materials and Procedure

The stimuli were presented in a room guided by the experimenter, followed

by three research assistants which will serve as: checker, timekeeper and recorder, and
maintaining the order of the participants. The stimuli were presented in two
conditions: neutral-colored words and emotion-colored words. Neutral-colored words
and emotion-colored words were presented in 10 different colors. Participant’s
responses were collected using the Test (Stroop Task Test), cellphone as timer,
ballpoint pen and paper for the recorded time. Research assistants instructed the
subjects to maintain a line to enter the room one by one. Participants were instructed
to name the font color as quickly and as accurately as possible, and to ignore the word
stimuli. Order of stimulus was randomized separately as the first neutral words and
emotion words, with font color presented with an equal number of stimuli. The
instructions repeated systematically until the end of the experiment.

Treatment(s)

The Stroop Task/effect was used as the treatment. The treatment 1 contains 10
neutral-colored words on the other hand, in treatment 2 there are 10 colored emotion-
charged words which will serve as the stimulus.

Measures

The measures used for data collection was a test (Stroop Color and Word test)
whereas it is used to measure a person's selective attention capacity and skills, and
processing speed. The subjects’ tries to recognize the color while ignoring words, the
speed and accuracy of the responses from the participants in terms of recognizing the
color was recorded through paper and pen.
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March 5, 2020

Results

An independent-sample t-test was run to determine if there were differences in using

colored neutral words and colored emotion-charged words affects their reaction time
in Stroop Test.

TABLE 1: Group Statistics

Group Statistics

TREATMENT N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

REACTION_TIME Neutral words 48 6.1375 1.03375 .14921

Colored emotion charged words 48 6.1967 1.10282 .15918

In this table you can see that there is a total of 96 participants that is
represented in this data as the two groups; (48) Colored neutral words, and (48)
Colored emotion-charged words the mean of Colored neutral words is 6.1375 while
6.1967 for the Colored emotion-charged words which shows that the scores of the
participants in both of the treatment were approximately the same.

TABLE 2.1: Independent Sample Test (continuation)

Independent Samples Test

Levene's Test for

Equality of
Variances t-test for Equality of Means

F Sig. t df

REACT Equal variances assumed .852 .358 -.271 94

ION_TI
ME Equal variances not assumed -.271 93.609

As the value of Sig. or the p value of Levene’s test is (.385), so p=0.385 >
0.05 which tells that “Equal variances assumed and indicates that variances are equal
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March 5, 2020

across two groups (p-value large). And this shows that the variability of the two-
treatment condition is about the same. Comparing the score in the first treatment
(CNW) do not vary that much with the second treatment (CECW).

TABLE 2.2: Independent Sample Test (continuation)

Independent Samples Test

t-test for Equality of Means

Mean Std. Error

Sig. (2-tailed) Difference Difference

REACTION_ Equal variances assumed .787 -.05917 .21818

TIME
Equal variances not assumed .787 -.05917 .21818

As the mean is interpreted, the group means that there is no statistically

significantly difference between the reaction time of the two conditions, because of
the value in the “Sig (2-tailed); .787 which is greater than 0.05.

TABLE 2.3: Independent Sample Test

Independent Samples Test

t-test for Equality of Means

95% Confidence Interval of the

Difference

Lower Upper

REACTION_TIME Equal variances assumed -.49236 .37403

Equal variances not assumed -.49238 .37405

The 95% Confidence Interval is (-.48605, .37896), which contain zero; this
agrees with the large p-value of the significant test. So, the results are not significant
at the chosen significant level. Since p > 0.385 is greater than our chosen significance
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March 5, 2020

level α  = 0.05, this indicates that researchers retain the null hypothesis and reject the
alternative hypothesis and cannot conclude that significant difference exists among
the neutral words and colored emotion charged words.

In terms of accuracy of the response it is noticeable that in the treatment 1

(CNW) there are two errors, and 1 error in treatment 2 (CECW). (Refer to the
appendix), which can be interpreted that the treatment 2 responses where more
accurate than with the treatment 1.

In determining whether using colored emotion-charged words affects the

reaction time and accuracy of responses from the Stroop test, the statistics shows that
there is no significant difference between the reaction time of the two treatment group
as indicated by the mean (6.1375 and 6.1967), standard deviation (1.03 and 1.10),
Levene's Test for Equality of Variances (36) and t-test for equality means (Sig.: 2-
Tailed; .787) which are all part of independent sample t-test. Although there are not
the same, it is recognized to have that between the two treatments it is approximately
the same. On the other hand, Treatment 2 responses where more accurate than the
Treatment 1, as Treatment 1 records much more error than of the Treatment 2 This
implies that using colored emotion charged words doesn’t affect the reaction time of
recognizing color.
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March 5, 2020

Findings

Did the experiment answer the hypothesis formulated? Explain.

The Stroop task/test the words in color are presented, and the participants task
is to name the ink color of each word as quickly and accurately as possible. The
experiment is answered in the formulated hypothesis that “If the colored emotion
charged words are exposed to the subjects then there is a faster reaction time but an
inaccurate color naming than the neural words”. but the result are oppose to the
hypothesis that indicated in the statistical result the emotion charged words are slower
than the neutral words based on the mean (6.1375 and 6.1967), there is no significant
effect between the reaction time of the two treatment group the T1 are faster but
inappropriate color naming and record much more error than the T2 are slower but
accurate color naming that result no significant effect between the reaction time. In
the study of [ CITATION Sta15 \l 1033 ] The emotionally laden words didn’t increase the
cognitive conflict in reading of the task in color naming that there was no significant
difference between the word.

Did the experiment affirm the previous experiment on Stroop task? Explain.

In the previous experiment on the emotional Stroop effect, the result in

previous study that longer naming the color of emotion words than the neutral words,
(Ben-Haim M. S., et al., 2016) the typical findings is people longer read the color of
the word than the neutral, because of the several explanation and observation on
slowdown attributing the mood, attention and freezing in few seconds. In supporting
to our experiment that emotional words didn’t increase the cognitive conflict in
reading of the task in color naming. The neutral words are faster but inappropriate
color naming and record much more error than the T2 are slower but accurate color
naming.
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March 5, 2020

What is the biological basis of explaining stoop task effects and its implications on
the chosen responses, and how it affects the reaction time of the participants?

In the Stroop Experiment that was done, the neurotransmitter dopamine has a
big role because of the subject’s actions are due to the deficient inhibition applied by
the brain circuitry in the prefrontal cortex of the brain that is responsible for the
decision making. This inhibition in the brain was caused by the neurotransmitter
specifically dopamine and decision making comes up when the subject decide to say
the color of the word not the word itself. In addition to that [ CITATION Qua18 \l 1033 ] ,
the memory retention in Stroop Task is helped by the neurotransmitter Dopamine. As
mentioned by [ CITATION Liu15 \l 1033 ] there are multiple brain regions are involved
in the Stroop task including left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG), the left insula, the
ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), and the medial frontal gyrus (MFG), and
negative correlation in the left precentral gyrus (LPG).

These multiple brain regions may have the possible influences of the reaction
time of the subjects during the experiment the left insula, and the LPG on the
efficiency of cognitive control on how the subject will execute the experiment.
[ CITATION Ban19 \l 1033 ] also added that a working memory of a subject can be a
reason why there’s a longer reaction time she stated in her study that there are
processes in the brain during the stroop task experiment.

* “the first process, implemented by posterior regions of lateral prefrontal

cortex, biases processing in posterior brain regions toward information that is most
task-relevant and/or away from information that is task-irrelevant. The second
process, implemented by mid-dorsolateral regions, biases selection toward that
information in working memory that is most relevant for the current task goal. The
third process, implemented by caudal mid-cingulate regions, is involved in late-stage
selection, usually those that are response-related. Finally, rostral dorsal regions of
the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) evaluate the appropriateness of the response
selected and send feedback to lateral prefrontal regions to make adjustments in
control as needed.”
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March 5, 2020

Conclusion

The present findings provide new insight about determining a significant

effect on emotion charged words influencing faster responses. That is, emotion
charged words, as measured by the methods given with the new findings, is any
emotion words that is given to the subjects doesn’t correlates to their time.
Additionally, As Boujonc, 2018 et al., stated that according to their study, different
colors, neutral and emotion words has no impact to the reaction times of the subject.
In addition to that argument (Mills, Kinoshita, & Norris, 2019) mentioned that even
though there are words that is given, the subjects are more focused on the color rather
than the words and meaning of it. They also stated that the Stroop Interference Effect
is therefore widely is the automaticity of word reading which means the subject is
occupied on the color reading not the word itself.

To future experimenters who will conduct the Stroop task experiment, they
should be careful on how to handle their subjects during the experiment because of
how the previous experimenters encountered a conflict, this is due to that the 28
subjects were in the same room, once the member of treatment 1 (T1) is finished they
will enter the same room and the treatment 2 (T2) will have the questions on how
they will perform the experiment, the T2 was very anxious because they didn’t know
what they will do, while the T1 was busy talking about the experiment that they were
currently doing. This conflict gave a confounding variable in the experiment.
Although Stroop Task may not have a strong foundation for referents, their
implications can at present be grounded in the real experience of feeling.

References:

Banich M. T. (2019). The Stroop Effect Occurs at Multiple Points Along a Cascade of
Control: Evidence from Cognitive Neuroscience Approaches. Frontiers in psychology, 10,
2164. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02164
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Ben-Haim, M. S., Williams, P., Howard, Z., Mama, Y., Eidels, A., & Algom, D. (2016). The
Emotional Stroop Task: Assessing Cognitive Performance under Exposure to Emotional
Content. Journal of visualized experiments: JoVE, (112), 53720.
https://doi.org/10.3791/53720[ CITATION Ran16 \l 13321 ]

Fritz, Stacia, "Using the Stroop Effect to Examine the Effect of Words to Which Humans are
SensitiveonCognitiveConflict"(2015).UniversityHonorsProgramTheses.78.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/honors-theses/78

Goldstein, E. B. (2015). Cognitive psychology: Connecting mind, research, and everyday

experience (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

Gul, A., & Humphreys, G. W. (2015). Practice and colour-word integration in Stroop
interference. Psicológica, 36(1), 37–67.

Lemerciera, C., Simoës-Perlanta, A., Schmidtb, J.R., & Boujonc, C. (2018). Stroop
interference and development:Influence of expectation on color-naming response times
Interférence et développement : influence du processus d ’ expectation sur les temps de
dénomination de la couleur.

Mills, L., Kinoshita, S., & Norris, D. (2019). No negative priming effect in the manual Stroop
task. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-9. [1764]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01764

Liu, C., Chen, Z., Wang, T., Tang, D., Hitchman, G., Sun, J., Zhao, X., Wang, L., & Chen,
A. (2015). Predicting Stroop Effect from Spontaneous Neuronal Activity: A Study of
Regional Homogeneity. PloS one.
Quattrocchi, G., Monaco, J., Ho, A., Irmen, F., Strube, W., Ruge, D., Bestmann, S., & Galea,
J. M. (2018). Pharmacological Dopamine Manipulation Does Not Alter Reward-Based
Improvements in Memory Retention during a Visuomotor Adaptation Task. eNeuro, 5(3),
ENEURO.0453-17.2018. https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0453-17.2018
Pecher, D., Boot, I., & van Dantzig, S. (2014). Abstract concepts: Sensory-motor grounding,
metaphors, and beyond. In B. Ross (Ed.), The Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol.
54) ( (pp. 217–248).Burlington: Academic Press.
Wentura, D., Rothermund, K., & Bak, P. (2014). Automatic vigilance: The attention-grabbing
power of approach- and avoidance-related social information. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 78(6), 1024–1037. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.6.1024
Zhu, Jing, Li, Li, Xiaowei, Rao, … Gangping. (2018, May 8). Neural Basis of the Emotional
Conflict Processing in Major Depression: ERPs and Source Localization Analysis on the
N450 and P300 Components. Retrieved from
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00214/full
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APPENDIX
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REACTION TIME
TREATMENT 1 TREATMENT 2
(Colored Neutral words) (Colored Emotion-charge words)
4.64 7.38
5.86 5.45
5.03 4.99
6.17 7.36
5.20 5.51
7.64 7.20
718 6.96(1 E)
6.53 5.80
5.42 6.54
7.01 7.84
5.37 5.30
7.01 6.02
6.42 6.20
4.48 5.44
6.73 5.36
5.44 6.75
6.21 6.68
6.75 5.58
6.58 7.03
5.45 4.72
5.89 5.99
6.63 5.05
5.99 7.44
6.13 5.42
6.46 7.77
5.74 8.73
6.53 4.86
5.30 5.52
5.29 6.54
6.03(1 E) 4.13
4.57 5.86
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March 5, 2020

8.75 8.03
7.53 6.53
5.50 6.25
6.11 7.53
6.21 5.69
8.01 7.60
6.99 (1E) 8.36
4.31 7.10
7.86 5.00
5.82 6.20
7.08 4.87
6.36 5.03
5.42 6.71
5.98 6.01
7.98 4.73
4.11 4.80
4.90 5.58
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March 5, 2020

TREATMENT 1

MESA

DAHON

BUHOK

LIBRO

ARAW

BUNDOK

PRUTAS

LABI

DAGAT
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March 5, 2020

BIGAS

TREATMENT 2

KUTYA

GALIT

LIBOG

SAKIT

LUNGKOT

NGITI

PAGOD

GANTI

SAMA

LINAW
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March 5, 2020