Difference in Reaction Times: Stroop Effect at Bond University

This report presents an analysis of the Stroop effect, a cognitive test measuring reaction times and interference. The study, conducted at Bond University, investigates the differences in reaction times between two conditions: naming the color of shapes (condition A) and naming the color of words (condition B). The methodology involved 13 participants, with data collected on their response times. The results, analyzed using descriptive statistics and an independent t-test, revealed a significant difference in processing time between the two conditions, leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. The discussion section compares the findings with previous research, highlighting the Stroop test's significance in understanding cognitive processes and selective attention. The report includes tables of means, standard deviations, and t-test results, along with a discussion of the implications of the findings, including potential applications in studying cognitive processing and brain conditions. The report follows APA guidelines and includes relevant references.

Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
“Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B”
Research in Psychology
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Lecturer:
Bond University
Student Name and ID: PSYC11‐105
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Abstract
The Stroop test is an essential assessment tool that studies the cognitive flexibility of
an individual. It basically assesses the performance on a basic task in comparison with their
similar task with unexpected interference and if any delays are observed throughout the
experiment, then the difference in reaction times is called troop interference. The participants
were expected to name as fast as possible, the colour of the ink used to print a list of shapes
and words. The process named the colour of the shapes as the first condition (A),
subsequently the process has named the colour of the words as the second condition (B).
Based on the descriptive statistics and independent t-test, the null hypothesis is rejected and
concluded that there is a significant time difference in the response.
Key words: stroop test, reaction time, condition A and B, color-shapes and words

Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
Table of Contents
Abstract......................................................................................................................................1
Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B............................3
Method.......................................................................................................................................4
Results........................................................................................................................................5
Discussion..................................................................................................................................7
References................................................................................................................................10
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
There are many variations of test that are administered in the field of Psychology over
hundreds of years of study. Most of them that have been revisited were the Stroop test. The
Stroop test has been the most popular one because of the simple design and prompt
administration (CHAMBERS, 1973). This test really is very interesting and builds interest for
anybody leveraging this test. This test was devised in 1935 by J. Ridley stoop. It was
basically to test the interferences that happen while verbal readings. There is a list of various
congruent and incongruent words and color patterns (MacLeod).
The Stroop effect indicates that it would take a longer time to name a specific colour of
some ink for a word coloured with a colour that conflicts the ink colour used (for instance,
the word red written with a blue ink) than to name the colour for a coloured word that is quite
same (for instance: the word red painted or printed with red ink). These studies are key
aspects in the understanding of cognitive-perceptual processes in day to day life (Scarpina &
Tagini, 2017). Coulour perception, for example, forms an essential part of our day to day
lives. How one recognizes the colours with respect to the words helps to gain overall
understanding of natural vs man made stimulus. This study or test is based on how one
perceives the combinations used between colours and words and also tests how attentive is
the brain (Stroop, 1992).
In addition to that, shapes also play a important role in the perception of the world around
us. We have seen that Shapes have been part of our evolution in the past for a longer as
compared to the words in printed form. By presenting the Geometric shapes and geometric
words and their related conditions, it becomes possible for us to investigate the hemisphere
related stimuli. Shapes have been an integral part of human life since the evolution of
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
mankind (wheel being one example). The study of such aspects helps to understand the
stimulus competition (Flowers & Stoup).
Method
• Here in the section of methodology it has been given the detail on how the study was
carried out and samples were taken. It even includes the statistical measures which were
adopted.
 Participants: there were total 13 participants in the given experiment for
observing the stoop effect. 7 males and 6 females were selected for both of the
condition A and condition B. The entire sample was belonging to the age group of 15-
30 years.
 Materials: As a part of the material it has been describe the measures used and
their function in this study. The samples were selected on random basis; they were not
related with each other. The mix of independent and random sampling technique was
adopted. Participants were given words and shape to identify its color. The
participants were expected to name as fast as possible, the colour of the ink used to
print a list of shapes and words. The report has named the colour of the shapes as the
first condition (A), subsequently we have named the colour of the words as the second
condition (B).
 Procedure: Let me clarify the procedures. Here the participants were asked to
name the color of the ink used in the shapes and words respectively. Red blue and
green colors were used writing it in words using different ink (JENSEN & ROHWER,
1966). It means that the ink will be of different color than actual color printed on
paper. On the same lines, shapes were given such as square, circle, etc with different
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
color. They were easily identifiable. Few more references been taken from several
past researches to adopt accurate procedure for conducting the experiment
(http://idahotc.com, 2017).
Results
The table for Mean and standard Deviation scores on condition A and condition B for
participants is given below:
Mean and standard Deviation scores on condition A and condition B for participants
Condition n Mean Standard Deviation
Condition A 13 38.69 8.74
Condition B 13 58.62 11.63
One more graph is added showing conditions and its mean and sd respectively.
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
The table for T test is given below. T state is 14.03
t-Test
Variable 1 Variable 2
Mean 58.62 38.69
Variance 135.26 76.40
Observations 13 13
Pearson Correlation 0.912
Hypothesized Mean Difference 0
Df 12
t Stat 14.02
P(T<=t) one-tail 4.19E-09
t Critical one-tail 1.79
P(T<=t) two-tail 8.38E-09
t Critical two-tail 2.18
We have conducted t test for the experiment. it says that T(12)=14.03, P <0.05.
Therefore, there is a significant difference in processing time between condition A and
condition B. the null hypothesis is rejected. Alternative hypothesis is accepted where it says
that participants behave differently in both condition A and condition B. The report has
studied the means and standard deviation of the participants in the condition A and condition
B respectively. In condition A, there is a less deviation from the centre than condition; which
means it is easy to recognize the shapes with different ink than the words.
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
Discussion
As it is said that the Stroop test has been the most popular one because of the simple
design and prompt administration. This test really is very interesting and builds interest for
anybody leveraging this test. After arriving on the results, let’s start with the discussion part
along with the hypothesis. it is important to create hypothesis to reach the conclusion of any
topic. The following hypothesis has been prepared according to the topic of stroop effect
(JENSEN A. R., 1965).
H0: There is no significance difference of timings between the recognition of (Naming
the colour of the shapes is the first) condition (A), (naming the colour of the words is the
second) condition (B).
H1: There is significance difference of timings between the recognition of (Naming the
colour of the shapes is the first) condition (A), (naming the colour of the words is the second)
condition (B).
Here based on the results the null hypothesis is rejected. T test has been conducted for the
experiment. It says that T(12)=14.03, P <0.05. Therefore, there is a significant difference in
processing time between condition A and condition B; hence the null hypothesis is rejected.
Alternative hypothesis is accepted where it says that participants behave differently in both
condition A and condition B.
The report aims to analysis that whether there is a significance difference of timings
between the recognition of Naming the colour of the shapes is the first condition (A), naming
the colour of the words is the second condition (B) (Gul & Humphreys2, 2015). The research
aimed to observe the stroop effect throughout the experiment. The research of “Transitions
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
between color categories mapped with a reverse Stroop task” states the same result. it says
that “Reaction times (RTs) are faster with congruent combinations when the ink color
matches the word than with incongruent combinations when the ink color does not match the
word (Smithson, Khan, Sharpe, & Stockman, 2006).”
This experiment has studied the condition A and condition B for both the gender but has
not focused on the same. The research report has the data but detailed study can be conducted
in future. The response time between condition A and condition B has been calculated and
analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics. But the significant difference between the
response time of male and female has not been focused which can be considered for future
research. with comparing the other research work, it was found that one more similar research
done with respect to color and shapes.
Here the researcher has done 4 experiments. And he found that in a normal scenario
people are able to read and write quickly when words are aligned with shapes and colors. But
“In the fourth experiment, stimuli were combinations of geometric shapes and no geometric
words. The authors predicted that it would take longer to respond in incongruent conditions
(e.g., the word “square” combined with the shape of a circle) than in congruent conditions.” it
was reported that the highest in congruency effects lies in the case where the left hemisphere
for responding to the vocabulary and the right hemisphere to respond to shape (GIER,
KREINER, SOLSO, & COX, 2010).
The stroop task is considered as one of the best way available in the psychology field to
study the cognitive processing of a human with or without interference and selective attention
(Elst, Boxtel, & Breukelen, 2006). Moreover, as mentioned in the above statistics tables, it is
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
proved that hypothesis based on Stoop test is true. But it has not considered few other
essential aspects such as eye sight and reading ability of the participants.
Overall, it was observed that the stroop task is a good methodology to analyze the generic
cognitive processing of a person by assessing the several aspects which enhance or reduce the
speed of its completion. It can have future execution in the treatment of serious degenerative
brain conditions in the society.
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
References
CHAMBERS, J. M. (1973). SELECTIVE ATTENTION TO WORDS AND COLOURS .
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology , 387-397 .
Elst, W. V., Boxtel, M. P., & Breukelen, G. J. (2006). The Stroop Color-Word Test Influence
of Age, Sex, and Education; and Normative Data for a Large Sample Across the Adult Age
Range. Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology , 13 (1).
Flowers, J. H., & Stoup, C. M. Selective attention between words, shapes and colors in
speeded classification and vocalization. University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
GIER, V. S., KREINER, D. S., SOLSO, R. L., & COX, S. L. (2010). The Hemispheric
Lateralization for Processing Geometric Word/Shape. The Journal of General Psychology ,
1-19.
Gul, A., & Humphreys2, G. W. (2015). Practice and colour-word integration. Psicológica ,
36, , 37-67.
http://idahotc.com. (2017). THE STROOP-TEST: CONFLICTING MESSAGES IN THE
BRAIN. http://idahotc.com .
JENSEN, A. R. (1965). SCORING THE STROOP TES. Acta Psychologia , 398-408.
JENSEN, A. R., & ROHWER, W. D. (1966). T’I-IE STRCOP COLOR-WORD TEST: A
REVIEW 1. Acta Psychologica 2 , 25, 36-93.
MacLeod, C. M. The Stroop Task: The "Gold Standard" of Attentional Measures. Toronto,
Ontario, Canada: Americal psychological association.
Scarpina, F., & Tagini, S. (2017, April 12). The Stroop Color and Word Test. Frontiers .
Smithson, H., Khan, S. S., Sharpe, L. T., & Stockman, A. (2006, May). Transitions between
color categories mapped with a reverse Stroop task. Visual Neuroscience - researchgate , pp.
453-460.
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Running Head: Difference in reaction when performing Stroop effect in condition A and B
Stroop, J. R. (1992). Studies of Interference in Serial Verbal Reactions. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: General , 121 (1), , 15-23.
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