Stroop Test

Introduction

To understand the mental process involved try this experiment. Look at the following letters on the screen: tree. If you are like most people it is difficult for you not to quickly read the word "tree." Most humans are so proficient at reading printed words that they cannot easily ignore them. In fact it takes considerable mental effort to do so. This tendency to quickly read a word is used in the Stroop Task.

The Stroop test with words printed in different colorsThe Stroop Task is a psychological test of our mental vitality and flexibility. The task takes advantage of our ability to read words more quickly and automatically than we can name colors. If a word is printed or displayed in a color different from the color it actually names; for example, if the word "green" is written in blue ink (as shown in the figure to the left) we will say the word "green" more readily than we can name the color in which it is displayed, which in this case is "blue."