Day 15 of 150 Speed Difficulty 3/10

Reading interferes with color-naming — the Stroop conflict

Quick answer

Reading interferes with color-naming — the Stroop conflict. Today's question (Stroop effect) asks about a finding from Stroop, J. R. in 1935. The correct option is Spells a different color name — full explanation, primary source, and glossary cross-links below.

Today's question

The Stroop effect is the slowdown in reaction time when naming the ink color of a word that:

  1. A Is printed in cursive
  2. B Spells a different color name
  3. C Is unfamiliar
  4. D Has more than eight letters
Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct: B — Spells a different color name

Stroop (1935) showed that automatic word-reading interferes with deliberate color-naming. Reading is so practiced that the word "RED" printed in blue ink produces a measurable lag when naming "blue." The conflict probes inhibitory control and is a workhorse measure of executive function — used clinically in ADHD and aging research and in basic-science work on conflict monitoring.

About the source

Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18(6), 643–662.

Every Cognition Bible question cites a primary source — a paper, book chapter, or monograph that exists, that we can point to on Google Scholar, and whose finding the question accurately summarizes. No fabricated authority strings, no name-drops without paper-level grounding.

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