title: Age-related trends of interference control in school-age children and young adults in the Stroop color-word test.
abstract: In this cross-sectional study, differences in interference control, one component of executive function, were investigated among three age groups, 15 early childhood (7- to 8-yr.-olds), 25 middle childhood (9- to 12-yr.-olds), and 20 young adults (21- to 30-yr.-olds). Participants were administered a computer version of the Stroop color-word test with an oral response; correct responses, response time (RT), and the interference ratio were examined. The data indicated that (1) most of the participants showed no errors in word reading, color-naming, and incongruent color-naming tasks; (2) in word-reading and color-naming tasks, RT for 7- to 8-yr.-olds was longer than that for 9- to 12-yr.-olds, while RT of 9- to 12-yr.-olds and young adults were comparable; (3) in an incongruent color-naming task, RT for 7- to 8-yr.-olds was longer than RT for 9- to 12-yr.-olds, which was longer than RT for young adults; and (4) the interference ratio was higher in 7- to 8-yr.-olds than in 9- to 12-yr.-olds, which was higher than in young adults. These results suggested the difference in interference control between early and middle childhood reported on the go/no-go task and the stop-signal procedure would be observed in the Stroop color-word paradigm as well. The utility of this modified Stroop color-word test for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Special Needs Education, Faculty of Education, Tokyo Gakugei University, Nukuikita-machi, Koganei-shi, Tokyo 184-8501, Japan. m091207w@st.u-gakugei.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshifumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okuzumi
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kokubun
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Haishi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D011930:Reaction Time; D012016:Reference Values; D057190:Stroop Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult