You will need MATLAB and a download of Cogent 2000 (http://www.vislab.ucl.ac.uk/cogent_2000.php). Add the file to your MATLAB path, and run program.
The colour Stroop task (CST; Stroop, 1935) – a classic test of response inhibition, selective attention and processing speed – involves a series of words presented in different colours. Participants have to ignore the word meaning while quickly and accurately identifying the colour used to display the word.
My Stroop program uses four different colours: red, green, blue, or yellow. There are two types of target – congruent targets in which the colour used to display the character matches its semantic meaning, or incongruent targets where the word meaning and display colour do not match, e.g. the word ‘red’ printed in green colour. Target stimuli are presented in a randomised order in the centre of a black screen, each being separated by the brief appearance of a central fixation cross. Participants respond by pressing the corresponding keys assigned to the colours of the word. Key responses and reaction time are recorded for analysis.
Stroop, J. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18(6), 643-662.
Note: This project formed part of the assessment for my second year MSc Neuroscience module in Research Methods & Programming, and was graded with Distinction.