To group or not to group: an ecological consideration of the stroop effect.
Eight experiments are reported that examine the contextual factors that influence the magnitude of color-word interference in the Stroop task. In Part 1 of the paper (Experiments 1-4) we varied letter-letter grouping using Gestalt principles of proximity and similarity. In Part 2 of the paper (Experiments 5-8) we varied word-color grouping using the Gestalt principles of similarity and common fate. The magnitude of the Stroop effect was strongly influenced by changes in both letter-letter grouping in the color-word and word-color grouping. Overall, the results suggest two ways in which perceptual organization influences the magnitude of Stroop color-word interference and more generally, that there are systematic principles that govern the impact of visually presented words across a variety of laboratory contexts and the real world.
Reynolds
Michael
M
Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. michaelchanreynolds@trentu.ca
Kwan
Donna
D
Smilek
Daniel
D
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D057190:Stroop Test; D055815:Young Adult