Clash of the
languages: The
Stroop Effect
Laura Jennings and
Timina Liu
Year 10
Burgmann Anglican School
Aim: To observe how, and at what speed,
the brain observes colour and words in
accordance with the Stroop Effect theory.
Hypothesis: The colours written in a foreign
language are expected to be read faster
than the colours written in English that
conflict with the colour ink they are written
in.
Materials:
 Words for colours in English and Russian
 Stopwatch
 8 Participants
Method:
1.
8 participants were chosen to identify the colours of words
and the materials collected.
2.
Each participant identified the colours of the English words in
English written in their corresponding colours. The length of
time the participant took to do this was recorded and then
repeated two more times.
3.
Each participant then identified the colours the words were
written in on the second list. The length of time the participant
took to do this was recorded and then repeated three times.
4.
Each participant did the same for the two lists of Russian
colours, both the words written in the corresponding colours
and the words written in different colours. The length of time
the participant took to do this was recorded and then
repeated three times.
5.
The 8 participants’ results were recorded and analysed.
Results:
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
English Correct Words and
Colours vs. Russian Correct
Words and Colours
25
English Colours and
Correct Words
English Colours and
Mixed up words
Graph 1
Time (seconds)
Time (seconds)
English Correct Colours and
Words vs. English Mixed Up
Words and Colours
20
15
English Colours and
Correct Words
10
5
Russian Colours and
Correct Words
0
Graph 2
Graph 1 shows all participants read the English words written in the
correct colours faster than the English words in mixed up colours.
Graph 2 shows all participants read the English words written in the
correct colours faster than the Russian words and correct colours.
Results:
Russian Correct Colours and
Words vs. Russian Mixed Up
Words and Colours
25
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
English Colours and
mixed up words
Russian Colours and
mixed up words
Graph 3
Time (Seconds)
TIme (seconds)
English Mixed Up Words and
Colours vs. Russian Colours and
Mixed Up Words
20
15
Russian Colours and
correct words
10
5
Russian Colours and
mixed up words
0
Graph 4
Graph 3 shows the majority of participants took longer to read the
English words in mixed up colours than the Russian words and mixed up
colours.
Graph 4 shows the majority of participants took longer to read Russian
words in mixed up colours than the Russian colours and correct words.
Discussion
The English words written in the corresponding colours were read the
quickest because words are read faster than the colours are identified.
The left side of the brain is the dominant language side of the brain for
about 96 per cent of people, which is why it is the first part of the brain to
respond.
With the Russian words and colours, the participants only identified the
colour; they did not read the word because they did not understand the
language. This meant that the two hemispheres of the brain did not
conflict in the information it was receiving. However, as the right
hemisphere is generally slower than the left hemisphere, it took longer to
identify the colours than it took to read the words when they were in
English (as shown in Graph 2).
The results from the experiment may not be completely accurate because
there were a few errors involved with the implementation of the
experiment. Firstly, there were a few distractions around the participants
such as noises and movement of objects or people while they were taking
part in the investigation. These were not controlled and were different for
each participant. The experiment could have been improved in a few
ways to overcome these difficulties and errors. The participants could
have completed the experiment in a quiet room with very few distractions.
Conclusion
The results of this experiment show that it takes less time to read a word
than to identify a colour. However, if the words and colours do not
correspond, then it takes longer again to identify the colour due to the
conflicting messages being received by the brain and the time taken to
reconcile them and produce the appropriate output. This has been
shown through the different parts of the investigation, with a combination
of coloured ink and the different colours written in Russian and English.
The results supported the hypothesis.
The words written in Russian, both corresponding to the colour they were
written in and not corresponding, generally took less time for the
participants to read and identify than the English words that did not
correspond to the colour they were written in. However, the English words
that did correspond to the colours took the least amount of time out of all
the different lists to be read by the participants.
The results from this experiment are useful for further studies regarding the
human brain and the hemispheres of the brain. The data gathered is
especially useful for studying how the two hemispheres work with and
against each other, as well as further research on strokes, epilepsy and
other brain conditions.
Bibliography





Stroop Effect. (2008). Retrieved August 23, 2011, from
School of Professional Hypnosis:
http://hypnosisschool.org/hypnotic/stroopeffect.php
Colors, Colors. (2010). Retrieved August 23, 2011, from
Neuroscience For Kids:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html
One Brain... or Two? (2010). Retrieved August 23,
2011, from Neuroscience For Kids:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/split.html
The Colors (English/ Russian). (2010). Retrieved August
23, 2011, from Enchanted Learning:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/colors/russian/
Heyrman, D. H. (n.d.). Brain Zones/ Right and Left
Hemispheres . Retrieved August 23, 2011, from Doctor
Hugo: http://www.doctorhugo.org/brain/brain.html