What is the Stroop effect?
Quick Answer
The Stroop effect is the delay and errors people make when naming the ink color of a word that names a different color, such as the word “red” printed in blue. It reveals a conflict between automatic reading and controlled attention.
The Full Story
The Stroop effect was described by psychologist J. Ridley Stroop in 1935. In the classic task, people are slower and less accurate when the meaning of the word conflicts with the color of the ink, because reading is highly automatic for many adults. The effect is used to study attention, cognitive control, and interference in the brain. It remains a standard tool in psychology experiments nearly a century later.
Key Facts
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Suggested video title for this topic:
"Why your brain trips over a word you can read in a split second."