Question 1

What is the Stroop effect?

Accepted Answer

The Stroop effect is the slowing in reaction time that happens when you must name the ink color of a word whose text spells a different color (e.g. the word "RED" in blue ink). It was first described by John Ridley Stroop in 1935.

Question 2

What does the Stroop test measure?

Accepted Answer

Selective attention and response inhibition - two core components of executive function. Clinicians use it to screen for attention disorders, frontal-lobe dysfunction, and cognitive fatigue.

Question 3

What is Reverse mode?

Accepted Answer

In Reverse mode you read the word and ignore the ink, instead of naming the ink and ignoring the word. Reading is more automatic for literate adults, so reverse is markedly easier - that asymmetry is one of the classic findings of Stroop research. High score and fastest time are tracked per mode so the easier variant does not mask your Normal-mode best.

Question 4

How does my progress save in the Stroop test?

Accepted Answer

Your best streak and fastest mean reaction time are stored locally in your browser, with separate records per (mode, colour count, time-limit) combination so Normal and Reverse keep independent best scores. Sign in to sync the same records across devices.

Question 5

Why is it harder when the word and color do not match?

Accepted Answer

Reading is automatic for literate adults; naming a color is not. The automatic response (read the word) competes with the required response (name the ink), creating interference that costs time.

Stroop Test