Neuroscience for Kids - The Stroop Effect Page 1 of 3

Colors, Colors?

The famous "Stroop Effect" is named after J. Ridley Stroop who discovered this strange
phenomenon in the 1930s. Here is your job: name the colors of the following words. Do NOT read
the words...rather, say the color of the words. For example, for the word BLUE, you should say
"RED". Say the colors as fast as you can. It is not as easy as you might think!

Try this Interactive Stroop Effect Experiment. The computer will keep track of the time
TRY it takes you to say the colors of the words.
IT!
[Run Experiment]

Also available: print out Stroop Test Mini Cards.

Why?
The words themselves have a strong influence over your ability to say the color. The
interference between the different information (what the words say and the color of the
words) your brain receives causes a problem. There are two theories that may explain the Stroop
effect:

1. Speed of Processing Theory: the interference occurs because words are read faster than colors
are named.

2. Selective Attention Theory: the interference occurs because naming colors requires more
attention than reading words.

I think that this puzzle would be easier for a very young child than for older children or
adults. Try this out on some small kids who know their colors, but cannot yet read! I
would imagine that the children would not get confused by this puzzle because the words would not
have any meaning to them.

My scores: Test #1 = 10.1 seconds; Test #2 = 22.4 seconds

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html 11/19/2004
Neuroscience for Kids - The Stroop Effect Page 2 of 3

It took me more than TWICE the amount of time to read the "confusing" words.

There is some evidence that the anterior cingulate area is active in people
during the Stroop effect.

More experiments to try:

z Turn the words upside down or rotate them 90o.

z Turn the words "inside out"
z Use non-color words such as "dog" or "house."
z Use nonsense words such as "kiw" or "thoz."

The original reference to the Stroop paper is: Stroop, J.R. Studies of interference in serial verbal
reactions. J. Exp. Psychol., 18:643-662, 1935. You can even read this complete 1935 paper on the
web!

If you would like to use the Stroop Effect as an experiment in class, here is a lesson ready
to go.

Other web resources on the Stroop effect:

1. Interference - from the American Psychological Association

2. Stroop Effect - from NOVA

New Stroop Tests

Here are two new variations of the Stroop Effect that you may not have seen.

1. Try this Interactive DIRECTIONAL Stroop Effect Experiment. The computer will
keep track of the time it takes you to say the LOCATION of the words.
TRY
IT! [Run Directional Stroop Experiment]

2. Try this Interactive NUMBER Stroop Effect Experiment. The computer will keep
track of the time it takes you to count the number of words.This "Counting Stroop Effect"
was described originally by Bush, G. et al., The counting Stroop: An interference task specialized for
functional neuroimaging--validation study with functional MRI. Human Brain Mapping, 6:270-282,
1998.

[Run Number Stroop Experiment]

Are these new tests easier or harder than the original colored word Stroop Effect? Why?

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html 11/19/2004
Neuroscience for Kids - The Stroop Effect Page 3 of 3

Did you
Dr. Stroop left the laboratory not long after he published his studies on his "effect" and
know?
joined the faculty at David Lipscomb College, a small Christian college in Nashville,
TN. He died in 1973 at the age of 76. Read more about "Brother Stroop" (that's what
his students called him) in Science News, Vol. 141, pages 312-316, 1992.

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http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html 11/19/2004