What is the Stroop effect?
The Stroop effect is a famous cognitive psychology phenomenon named after psychologist John Ridley Stroop, who published the original experiment in 1935. For example, if the word "red" is printed in blue ink, people tend to react more slowly and make more mistakes, because the word's meaning (red) conflicts with its actual color (blue). This is thought to happen because reading text is processed more automatically and quickly by the brain than recognizing color.
How to play
A color name appears in the center of the screen, and the color of the text may not match its meaning. Click the button below that matches the actual color you see β not what the word means β as quickly and accurately as you can. Your score goes up for each correct answer within the 30-second time limit, and wrong answers don't add to your score.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this so confusing?
The brain processes reading text faster and more automatically than recognizing color, so when the two pieces of information conflict, your brain briefly gets confused. This is a completely normal cognitive response, and your reaction speed often improves a bit with practice.
Are there other reaction-speed games?
We're working on adding more brain reaction games, like a simple reaction-time test and a digit-span memory test β check back soon.