Stroop Task

The Stroop task is a classic measure of cognitive control and selective attention. Participants name the color of words while ignoring the words' semantic content. When the color and word meaning match (e.g., the word 'red' printed in red ink), responses are fast. When they conflict (e.g., the word 'red' printed in blue ink), response times increase dramatically. This Stroop effect reveals how automatic word reading interferes with color naming, indexed by the difference in reaction times between congruent and incongruent conditions.