Clash of the Titans: The Magnificent Mind vs. The Stroop Effect

In my defense…

As you can see from the previous posts, such as The Ultimate 1-to-25 Memory – on the Clock or Total Recall: What’s Stored in Your Memory Bank, I really like dual-task processing games and/or activities. I use these a lot in my coaching due to their massive impact on our perception and reasoning, which subsequently and inevitably affects all the skills we possess that are paramount for everyday life, regardless of the scope of their development.

 

The Stroop Effect Explained

A prime example of dual-task processing is the Stroop Effect, first identified by John Ridley Stroop in 1935 in his “Studies of Interference in Serial Verbal Reactions.”

In simple terms, this is a phenomenon where the brain experiences a delay in reaction time when it needs to process conflicting information. We measure this by using the neuropsychological Stroop Color and Word Test, or SCWT in short, which consists of a series of words describing colors in different colors. The task is to name the color, not read the word. SCWT measures the delay between processing congruent and incongruent stimuli.

To simplify it ever further, this means that we process information faster if, for example, the word “red” is written in red, which is a congruent stimulus, than if it is written in any other color, which is an incongruent stimulus. Processing incongruent stimuli most commonly ends in delayed reactions, and, very often, mistakes.

This occurs because our brains process words faster than colors. In addition, for the majority of literate adults, reading is a more automatic action than naming colors. And obviously, the discrepancy between the word’s meaning and its color creates cognitive interference.

We use this to measure cognitive flexibility, attention, and the brain’s ability to inhibit automatic responses. It is also a valuable diagnostic tool for conditions like ADHD, dementia, and brain injuries. Needless to say, many game shows, escape rooms, and cognitive training apps and games in general rely on it to improve focus and reaction speed.

It’s also worth mentioning that there are other variations of the Stroop test, such as the Emotional Stroop, Numerical Stroop, Shape Stroop, and Food Stroop, which focus on emotionally charged words, numbers of different sizes, conflicting labels, and eating behaviors, respectively. Yet, all these principles aren’t just theoretical – they are at play in all segments of our everyday lives.

In practical terms, this explains why, for example, it’s harder to focus on reading in a noisy room, why some drivers turn down or even off music when they need to park, why it’s more difficult to sing one song to the tune of another, etc. It also explains why the most attention-grabbing ads use visual contrasts or conflict to make their designs stand out. High-contrast visuals create a Stroop-like effect by instantly forcing our brains to resolve the “clash” of design elements while forcing us to remember them better. Think Coca-Cola. Think Apple. Think!

And thinking of other factors that affect the Stroop Effect, we must mention participants’ age, language, and bilingualism. Younger participants usually score better results, likely due to age-related declines in cognitive flexibility, which we also mentioned earlies. The same happens with bilingual individuals due to enhanced cognitive control from switching between different languages. Reading speed and word complexity also influence the results of the Stroop Effect.

For more information, check out the articles from Frontiers in Psychology on The Stroop Color and Word Test and the Neural Correlates of Task-Irrelevant First and Second Language Emotion Words – Evidence from the Emotional Face–Word Stroop Task.

 

Game Parameters Explained

The game below is based on the assumption that the average response time for incongruent stimuli is 1-2 seconds, or more specifically, 1.5 second. As we saw in the previous article, introducing minor time pressure positively affects our decision-making and performance. Hence the 60-second timeframe. Given the time constraint and the response time, this gives us an average of 40 rounds per game, assuming all attempts are correct. The lower threshold of the assumed response time is used to calculate the total number of attempts, giving us a total of 60 rounds in 60 seconds.

To spice things up even further, the game offers no congruent stimuli, and no mistakes are allowed. Meaning – if you make a mistake, the game is immediately over, and you need to start again.

The overall aim of the game is to beat the time and complete the streak of 60 rounds. The next-best goal is to maintain focus for 60 seconds and get a streak of correct colors. This is also considered an accomplishment, as no mistakes have been made. Practice makes perfect, and you’re bound to get there soon.

To simplify the process, below the prompts, you will see buttons with all the colors featured in the game. Just click on the one that matches the prompt, and the next round will automatically appear.

If you want to nail the score, focus on one dimension of the task – that is, the ink color – and reduce all possible distractions.

Let’s play!

Tips from a Seasoned Player

For those who like experimenting and are (lucky to be?) visually challenged like myself: I am nearsighted, and I noticed that when I take off my glasses, my performance in this and similar tasks skyrockets immediately.

Here’s what happens. Removing glasses blurs out fine details in my visual field, helping my brain to filter out distractions, and, consequently, process prominent features faster – in this case, the color of the word, not the word itself. Put simply, recognizing colors takes primacy over reading as a more automated task. Meaning, it’s easier for me to spot a blurry color than to put effort into reading a blurry text. This is also why I excel at visual search task and games such as “Can you find…” Yeah, don’t bother – I’ve already found it. 😉

Bottom line: if we reduce or simplify our inputs – whether visual or mental – we can focus on what matters most more easily.

(But you have probably noticed this while playing the game. I mentioned earlier, “to simplify the process, below the prompts, you will see buttons with all the colors featured in the game.” The way the colored buttons simplify the process is that they create a sort of an “anchor” which helps you eliminate distractions. Or, to make it even simpler, if you focus on matching the color of the word with the color of the button, you “tone down” the urge to read the words, thus facilitating processing speed. Things become much more complicated when you play the original version – naming colors out loud.)

 

So, how did you do? Get in touch & let us know. 😊

 

Keep your mind sharp and your smile brighter!