Thoughtober - Day Twenty Three
Stroop test anyone?
Performing your own Stroop test
The original Stroop test included two parts.
One - The written colour name is printed in a different colour of ink, and the participant is asked to speak the written word.
Two - The participant is asked to name the ink colour.
What part of the brain does the Stroop test affect?
The Stroop test helps researchers measure the part of the brain that handles planning, decision-making, and dealing with distraction.
What is the Stroop test used for?
The Stroop test helps to evaluate the level of your attention capacity and abilities, and how fast you can apply them. It's particularly helpful in assessing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and executive functioning in people with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
A few theories have emerged about why the Stroop effect exists, though there is not widespread agreement about the cause of the phenomenon. Some reasons proposed for the Stroop effect include:
Selective Attention Theory: Selective attention chooses “which information will be granted access to further processing and awareness and which will be ignored.” In relation to the Stroop effect, identifying the colour of the words takes more attention than simply reading the text. Therefore, this theory suggests that our brains process the written information instead of the colours themselves.
Automaticity Theory: Our two types of cognitive processing include automatic and controlled thinking. In relation to the Stroop effect, the brain likely reads the word because reading is more of an automated process than recognizing colours.
Speed of Processing Theory: Simply stated, this theory for the cause of the Stroop effect posits we can process written words faster than we can process colours. Thus, it is difficult to identify the colour once we’ve already read the word.
Parallel Distributed Processing: This theory suggests the brain creates different pathways for different tasks. Therefore, it’s the strength of the pathway that plays an important role in which is easier to name, the colour or the text.
So today I would like you to time how long it takes you to complete the stroop test. Compare times for test 1 and test 2. See if you can improve them in time.
Instructions
Start the timer when you read out the first colour. You want to read the colour not the word. End timer when you read out the last colour.
Repeat the process with list 2.
Work out the difference.
Terms and Key Questions
Before you begin your experiment, you should understand these concepts:
Selective attention: This is the way we focus on a particular item for a selected period of time.
Control group: In an experiment, the control group doesn't receive the experimental treatment. This group is extremely important when comparing it to the experimental group to see how or if they differ.
Independent variable: This is the part of an experiment that's changed. In a Stroop effect experiment, this would be the colours of the words.
Dependent variable: The part of an experiment that's measured. In a Stroop effect experiment, it would be reaction times.
Other variables: Consider what other variables might impact reaction times and experiment with those.
For the budding scientists amongst us!
There are a number of different approaches you could take in conducting your own Stroop effect experiment with others
Compare reaction times among different groups of participants. Have a control group say the colours of words that match their written meaning. Black would be written in black, blue written in blue, etc. Then, have another group say the colors of words that differ from their written meaning. Finally, ask a third group of participants to say the colors of random words that don't relate to colors. Then, compare your results.
Try the experiment with a young child who has not yet learned to read. How does the child's reaction time compare to that of an older child who has learned to read?
“Upon conscientious acts of self-correction civilization unfolds. Animals gotta live by instincts, we can't choose the same road.”