The Stroop Effect
Abstract
The aim of this experiment is to study autonomic processes by replicating the previously carried out Stroop effect by using numbers. A number of 180 random participants aged in between 18-89 were recruited to participate in this experiment. Participants were presented with a stroop experiment task sheet which consists of three parts which was the control, congruent and incongruent conditions. Time was taken and recorded for each participant to say out the number of stars in the control condition and to say out the number of numbers in the congruent and incongruent conditions. Based on the results, participants took a considerably longer time to say the number of number in the incongruent condition than in the congruent condition. This corresponds to the earlier research carried out by Stroop. Therefore, it can be said that the powerfully autonomic nature of reading words is as same as reading numbers, as it is such a well-learned automatic activity it does interfere with the task.
The Stroop Effect and the Automatic Processes
The Stroop effect was first described in 1935 by the scientist whose name it now bears. Generally, the Stroop effect refers to the complexity observers have in removing meaningful but conflicting information from a task, even when that information is immaterial or counterproductive in that task. The Stroop effect can be seen as interference, that is, when one mental operation degrades the performance of another.
Attention is a system, which allows us to select and process certain significant incoming information. Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on one task at a time whilst excluding any eternal stimuli, which may be distracting. Whereas divided attention refers to the ability to divide ones attention between two or more tasks. If one of these tasks becomes an automatic process it becomes easier to divide ones attention between these two tasks. However, sometimes rather than being helpful, interference can
The aim of this experiment is to study autonomic processes by replicating the previously carried out Stroop effect by using numbers. A number of 180 random participants aged in between 18-89 were recruited to participate in this experiment. Participants were presented with a stroop experiment task sheet which consists of three parts which was the control, congruent and incongruent conditions. Time was taken and recorded for each participant to say out the number of stars in the control condition and to say out the number of numbers in the congruent and incongruent conditions. Based on the results, participants took a considerably longer time to say the number of number in the incongruent condition than in the congruent condition. This corresponds to the earlier research carried out by Stroop. Therefore, it can be said that the powerfully autonomic nature of reading words is as same as reading numbers, as it is such a well-learned automatic activity it does interfere with the task.
The Stroop Effect and the Automatic Processes
The Stroop effect was first described in 1935 by the scientist whose name it now bears. Generally, the Stroop effect refers to the complexity observers have in removing meaningful but conflicting information from a task, even when that information is immaterial or counterproductive in that task. The Stroop effect can be seen as interference, that is, when one mental operation degrades the performance of another.
Attention is a system, which allows us to select and process certain significant incoming information. Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on one task at a time whilst excluding any eternal stimuli, which may be distracting. Whereas divided attention refers to the ability to divide ones attention between two or more tasks. If one of these tasks becomes an automatic process it becomes easier to divide ones attention between these two tasks. However, sometimes rather than being helpful, interference can
References: Cheesman, J. and Merikle, P.M. (1984). Priming with and without awareness. Perception & Psychophysics, 36, 387-395. Cited in Eysenck, M.W. and Keane, M.T. (2005). Cognitive Psychology: A Student’s Handbook (Fifth Edition), Hove: The Psychology Press. Kahneman, D.(1973) Kahneman, D., and Henik, A. (1979). Perceptual organisiation and attention. In M. Kubovy and J.R. Pomerantz (Eds.), Perceptual organisation. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Cited in Brown T.L., Joneleit K., Robinson C.S., Brown C.R. MacLeod, C. M., & Dunbar, K. (1988). Training and Stroop-like interference: Evidence for a continuum of automaticity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 14, 126-135. Retrieved March 30, 2008 from PsycARTICLES database. information processing: II. Perceptual learning, automatic attending, and a general theory. Psychological Review, 84, 127-190. Retrieved April 1, 2008 PsycINFO database. Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18,643-662. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from PsycINFO database. Tzelgov, J