Lab 9: Colour-word interference

Question 1

General EXPERIMENTAL QUESTION for the COLOUR-WORD Stroop Task:

Answer 1

What is the effect of X on Y while controlling for Z?

Question 2

Experimental question

Answer 2

What is the effect of Incongruent Information on your ability to name colours while controlling for font size,
number of items, random error and practice effects?

Question 3

IV DV and CV

Answer 3

We have 2 IVs (X) -
NAME INK vs. READ WORD tasks
CONGRUENT vs. INCONGRUENT information

We have 1 DV (Y) -
Response Time (RT) to name or read 20 items (“Skill Time” in seconds)

We have 4 CVs (Z) -
the SIZE of the stimuli to be named or read
the NUMBER of items to be named or read per trial
Random Error and Progressive Error

Question 4

The task of this lab

Answer 4

you will be asked to name out loud a series of 20 colour names based on the actual WORDs presented or the colour of the INK of the words (or in some cases colour patches). You are to name or read the colours as fast as you can without making too many mistakes, and if you do, just correct yourself and continue naming as fast as you can.

Question 5

Steps of the subtractive technique

Answer 5

Measure the Baseline Condition (Neutral Condition):
The first step is to measure how long it takes participants to name the ink color of neutral words (e.g., “house” written in different ink colors). This provides a baseline for how long it takes to perform the task when there is no interference from the meaning of the word.

Measure the Stroop Task Conditions:Then, the same participants perform the Stroop task under two other conditions:

Congruent Condition: The word meaning matches the ink color (e.g., “red” in red ink).

Incongruent Condition: The word meaning does not match the ink color (e.g., “red” in blue ink).

Calculate the Differences:Using the subtractive method, we then subtract the baseline (neutral condition) response time from the congruent condition and incongruent condition response times.

This allows us to isolate the effect of word reading and color-naming conflict

Question 6

Congruent Condition (minus Neutral Condition)

Answer 6

This tells us how long it takes to name the color when there is no interference from the word meaning. In most cases, there should be minimal delay compared to the neutral condition, as reading the word and naming the color are both aligned.

Question 7

Incongruent Condition (minus Neutral Condition)

Answer 7

This tells us how much the interference from reading the word (which competes with naming the color) slows down the response time. The larger the difference between the incongruent condition and neutral condition, the stronger the Stroop Effect.

Question 8

The difference between the incongruent and neutral conditions represents the

Answer 8

cognitive interference caused by the automatic process of word reading. The congruent condition minus the neutral condition tells us about the baseline or the time required to name a color when there is no interference.

Question 9

HYPOTHESIS

Answer 9

INCONGRUENT trials should be slower than BASELINE trials (and CONGRUENT Trials). This effect should be large ONLY when you are naming INK COLOUR (due to automatic reading of the WORD).

Question 10

Automatic vs. Controlled processing

Answer 10

Automatic processing involves mental activities that require minimal conscious effort and attention. These processes occur quickly, effortlessly, and often outside of conscious awareness. They are typically the result of repeated practice and familiarity, making the tasks routine or habitual.

Controlled processing involves tasks that require conscious thought, deliberate attention, and effort. These processes are typically employed when a task is new, complex, or when we encounter something unfamiliar.