This experiment tested how different color schemes (cool, warm, pastel, primary colors) affected completion times on the Stroop test. Test subjects completed 5 versions of the Stroop test with different color schemes. The data showed that completion times varied between the tests, with primary colors having the fastest average time and pastel colors the slowest. This supported the hypothesis that color schemes impact performance on the Stroop test due to selective attention.

1. Color Schemes and the Stroop
Effect
Do different color schemes(cool, warm, pastel, primary)
have an effect on how long it takes (measured in seconds)
the test subject to complete the Stroop Effect?
By Casey Reed

2. Rationale
This experiment was chosen because Human
Behavioral Science is an interesting topic and is
relevant to daily life, as the conductor and test
subjects of the experiment are human.
Hopefully, the experiment accomplished showing
how the human brain responds to various color
schemes used in the Stroop effect.

3. Research
The Stroop Effect was named after J. Ridley
Stroop, who discovered the effect in the 1930s.
The Selective Attention Theory says that an
interference occurs because naming colors requires
more attention than reading colors does.
Automatization is the instinct to only pay attention to
the meaning of a word. After reading for many
years, when a person sees a printed word it is hard for
them to not read it.

4. Hypothesis
If the five different tests of the Stroop effect has an
effect on the time it takes for the test subject to
complete each test, then color schemes will effect
how the test subject performs as a result of the
Selective Attention Theory.

5. Hypothesis
The four different tests were modified by coloring the
words in each test with different colors. The first test
was the original Stroop test, the second test used
cool colors, the third test used warm colors, the
fourth test used pastel colors, and the fifth test used
primary colors

6. Materials
Item
Test Papers 1-5
Room to test in
Children
Notebook to Record In
Stopwatch
Pencils
Procedure Sheet
Answer Keys 1-5

7. Procedure
1.Welcome the participant and ask the participant to take a seat.
2.Tell the participant what they will be asked to do: “I am going to
show you colored words. Do not pay attention to the meaning of the
word, just say the color of the word. Try to go as fast as you can. you
will do this fifteen times, three times for each sheet. If you make a
mistake, you must correct it before you continue with the test. Tell me
when you are ready to begin.”
3.Show participant Test Paper 1 and say go; simultaneously start timer.
4.Stop timer when participant completes Test Paper 1.
5.Record time in chart
6.Repeat steps 3-5 two times
7.Repeat steps 3-6 with Test Papers 2-5 8.Thank participant for helping

8. Pictures of Experiment
Test Paper 5
Basic setup of experiment
Test Subject 10 testing Test Subject 4 preparing to test

9. Data

10. Data

11. Data
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0Aot
mF_96nwYMdHBPQmVqc2FJNU5oQXlBdkIzeFZ0SWc
&output=html

12. Conclusion
The problem was “Do different color
schemes(cool, warm, pastel, primary) have an effect
on how long it takes (measured in seconds) the test
subject to complete the Stroop Effect?” The problem
was answered as the data clearly showed that varying
color schemes affected the time it took for the test
subjects to complete the test.

13. Conclusion
The hypothesis was “If the five different tests of the
Stroop effect has an effect on the time it takes for the
test subject to complete each test, then color
schemes will effect how the test subject performs as
a result of the Selective Attention Theory, and it was
proven correct because the research showed that
each individual Stroop test had a different average
time, and some tests had much better averages than
others .

14. Conclusion
Test 5 had the smallest average time, and Test 4 had
the largest. The average time it took to read test 4
was 17.6 seconds. The average time it took to read
test 5 was 12.46 seconds.
The experiment’s results showed that primary colors
were easiest to identify and pastel shades were the
hardest.

15. Conclusion
To improve the experiment, one could create more
color schemes and have more trials with more
volunteer test subjects. One could have acquire a
more accurate time recording device.
Many can benefit from the results of this experiment.
Students can use the fact that can most easily
recognize primary colors and use these colors to
helped them memorize things they may need to
know for school. Scientists can also use the results to
record the trends and compare it to other data.

16. Conclusion
For future research, scientists could narrow down the
different colors used in each test to provide more
detailed results. More trials could be taken from test
subjects of different ages to expand the results for
more people.