The Stroop Colour and Word Test effect on its basis is one of the most well-known and long-lasting phenomena in all cognitive science and psychology. Having been first reported by John Ridley Stroop in 935, the phenomena explains the degree of difficulty people have with naming colour of the ink rather than the word itself (Stroop, 935). More specifically, it assesses the ability to inhibit cognitive interference, which occurs when the processing of a stimulus feature affects the simultaneous processing of another attribute of the same stimulus (Scarpini & Tagini, 207). Since the early beginnings of experimental psychology, it was identified that clear words are faster to read compared to objects or their properties are to name. A study conducted in 886, introduced the concept of automaticity to cognitive science which explained that word reading counts as an unconscious automatic process due to extensive practice (MacLeod, 99). Under this concept, people cannot abide by with an instruction of not t
o read because reading in itself cannot be turned on and off. Hence why it is guaranteed that incompatible words will cause interferences when attempting to name their printed colours. In the following report, subjects are required to read three different tables of information as fast as possible. Two of them are represented as a congruent condition in which the participants are asked to read the names of colours in text printed in black ink and name different coloured blocks without text. Conversely, the last test, is the Stroop effect test, where coloured words are printed in an inconsistent colour tone. Thus, this is deemed as the incongruent condition as the participants are required to name the colour of the ink instead of reading the text. While this experiment is mostly used for the purposes of measuring the ability to inhibit cognitive interference, similar research also found its applications to measure other cognitive functions such as attention, speed of process and cognitive flexibility.