title: Should I stay or should I go--cognitive conflict in multi-attribute signals probed with East and West German 'Ampelmännchen' traffic signs.
abstract: In post-unification Germany, lingering conflicts between East and West Germans have found some unusual outlets, including a debate of the relative superiority of East and West German 'Ampelmännchen' pedestrian traffic signs. In our study, we probed the visual efficacy of East and West German Ampelmännchen signs with a Stroop-like conflict task. We found that the distinctive East German man-with-hat figures were more resistant to conflicting information, and in turn produced greater interference when used as distractors. These findings demonstrate Stroop-like effects for real-life objects, such as traffic signs, and underline the practical utility of an East German icon.
authors.affiliation: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany. c.peschke@jacobs-university.de
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peschke
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Olk
authors.forename: Claus C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hilgetag
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time; D055815:Young Adult