Grades 3–5 · Organisms
Why can a word’s meaning interfere with naming its ink color?
The word RED can be printed in blue ink. The letters give one kind of information: the word’s meaning. The colored ink gives another. A reader can recognize both from the same printed object.
In the diagramOne printed word carries two kinds of informationREDword meaning: redink color: bluesame printed objectIllustrative conflict; no timed test, score or measure of intelligence.
Reading a familiar word can happen with little deliberate effort. If a task requires naming the ink color instead, the word may activate a competing answer. The person must select the response that matches the task.
In classic research, conflicting color words tended to slow color naming compared with simpler color displays. The finding shows interference between processes. It does not mean that every reader has the same delay on every word.
The printed example stays the same while the requested information changes. This helps explain why something easy to read can be harder to ignore. Attention includes selecting useful information when other familiar information is also present.
About this explanation
Starting knowledge: Read familiar color words and distinguish a printed word’s meaning from the color of its letters.
Sources
- J. Ridley Stroop, Journal of Experimental Psychology — Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions