Analysing your IQ
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Click the INK COLOR of each word, not the word itself. Measures your cognitive interference, selective attention, and processing speed.
Click the INK COLOR, not the word!
For example, if you see RED, click the BLUE button because the ink is blue.
The Stroop Effect, first published by John Ridley Stroop in 1935, is one of the most famous phenomena in cognitive psychology. It demonstrates the interference that occurs when the brain processes conflicting information. When you see the word "RED" printed in blue ink and must name the ink color, your automatic reading response conflicts with the required color-naming response, causing a measurable delay.
This interference occurs because reading is a more automated process than color naming for literate adults. The brain must engage executive control to suppress the automatic reading response and instead focus on the perceptual feature (ink color). The size of this interference effect varies between individuals and is influenced by factors including age, attention disorders, and neurological conditions.
The Stroop test is widely used in clinical neuropsychology to assess executive function, particularly cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control. An increased Stroop effect can be an indicator of conditions such as ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, and various forms of dementia. It is frequently included in neuropsychological test batteries for brain injury assessment.
Research has shown that the Stroop test activates the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), brain regions crucial for conflict monitoring and cognitive control. Training on Stroop-like tasks has been shown to improve general executive function, though the extent of transfer to everyday cognitive abilities remains a topic of ongoing research.
The Stroop Effect is the delay in reaction time when the color of a word does not match the word's meaning (e.g., the word "RED" printed in blue ink). Named after John Ridley Stroop who published the effect in 1935, it demonstrates the interference between automatic word reading and color naming.
The Stroop test measures selective attention, cognitive flexibility, and processing speed. It assesses your ability to inhibit an automatic response (reading the word) in favor of a less automatic one (naming the ink color). A smaller Stroop effect indicates better cognitive control.
A typical Stroop interference effect (the difference between incongruent and congruent response times) ranges from 100-200ms for most adults. Scores below 80ms indicate excellent cognitive control, while scores above 200ms may suggest difficulties with selective attention.
