Strooping

the
Colour

STROOPING
THE
COLOUR

How colour and language can trick your brain

Eleanor Maclure

Introduction

Virtually unique to the relationship between colour and language,

the Stroop Effect is a psychological phenomenon that is remarkably
simple to demonstrate. First published in England in 1935, by
John Ridley Stroop, the effect has since been replicated hundreds
of times under controlled conditions, reinforcing its validity as a
recognised occurrence and making the original paper one of the
most cited in the history of experimental psychology.
In simple terms, the Stroop Effect refers to the identification of a
delay in naming the colour a word is printed in, if the word itself
denotes a different colour. This is in comparison to the speed of
naming, if the colour of the word is the same as its meaning. So it is
easier to name the colour of a word printed in red, if the word itself
also says red.
Although a relatively easy concept to grasp, the true explanation
of the Stroop Effect remains contentious. It is understood to occur
because we are required to override interference in our brains
from the comprehension of a word, in order to correctly identify
the colour it is depicted in. The standard explanation put forward
for this, is that words are read automatically and can be recognised
faster than colours can be named. However, experiments exploring
the Reverse Stroop Effect, which can be demonstrated through
colour matching rather than verbalisation, have brought these two
theories into question.
The aim of this book is not only to illustrate the Stroop Effect, but
to examine how the use of more or less complex colour terms,
and the presentation of these terms might influence the effect.
If a colour term is obscure and unfamiliar does that interfere with
the processing of a colour in the same way that it does with a
basic colour term? At the heart of the Stroop Effect lies a unique
phenomenon that encapsulates the complex relationship colour
has with language.

Strooping
the
Colour

BASIC
COLOUR
TERMS

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

pink

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

red

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

orange

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

yellow

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

green

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

blue

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

purple

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

brown

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

grey

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC TERMS CORRECT COLOURS

white

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

orange

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

green

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

pink

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

blue

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

red

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

yellow

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

grey

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

white

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

purple

TYPES OF TERMS

BASIC COLOUR TERMS

brown

SOPHISTICATED
COLOUR
TERMS

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

beige

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

cream

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

indigo

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

lilac

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

lime

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

magenta

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

maroon

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

salmon

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

turquoise

TYPES OF TERMS

SOPHISTICATED COLOUR TERMS

violet

OBSCURE
COLOUR
TERMS

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

gamboge

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

loden

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

cerulean

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

porphyry

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

bice

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

adobe

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

greige

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

alizarin

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

celadon

TYPES OF TERMS

OBSCURE COLOUR TERMS

ianthine

NON
COLOUR
TERMS

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

fruit

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

house

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

flower

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

table

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

cat

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

bottle

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

glass

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

button

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

coat

TYPES OF TERMS

NON-COLOUR TERMS

money

COLOUR
AND TERM
COMBINATIONS

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

PINK

pink

pink

pink

pink

pink

pink

pink

pink

pink

pink

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

RED

red

red

red

red

red

red

red

red

red

red

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

ORANGE

orange

orange

orange

orange

orange

orange

orange

orange

orange

orange

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

YELLOW

yellow

yellow

yellow

yellow

yellow

yellow

yellow

yellow

yellow

yellow

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

GREEN

green

green

green

green

green

green

green

green

green

green

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

BLUE

blue

blue

blue

blue

blue

blue

blue

blue

blue

blue

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

PURPLE

purple

purple

purple

purple

purple

purple

purple

purple

purple

purple

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

BROWN

brown

brown

brown

brown

brown

brown

brown

brown

brown

brown

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

GREY

grey

grey

grey

grey

grey

grey

grey

grey

grey

grey

COLOUR AND TERM COMBINATIONS

WHITE

white

white

white

white

white

white

white

white

white

white

COLOURED
SURROUND

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

orange

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

green

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

pink

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

blue

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

red

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

yellow

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

grey

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

white

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

purple

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED SURROUND

COLOURED
BACKGROUND

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

orange

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

green

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

pink

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

91

blue

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

red

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

yellow

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

grey

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

white

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND

purple

PRESENTATION METHODS

COLOURED BACKGROUND