Stroop There It Is!: The Stroop Effect in Native and

Non-Native Languages

Nicole Nielsen-Bowles, Tiffany Shigeoka,and Alysson DeLange

University of Hawai’i at Mānoa

Background❏ “Studies of Interference in Serial Verbal

Reactions” (Stroop, 1935)❏ The Stroop Effect

Research question❏ Does the Stroop Effect

occur (to the same

degree) for individuals

who speak more than

one language?

hypothesesH1. People will be faster at Matched condition vs. Mismatched condition in both native and non-native languages

H2. There will be a less prominent Stroop Effect in the non-native language compared to the native language

Rationale: Less automaticity in non-native language

Participants❏ Adults (18+) at the

University of Hawai’i at Manoa, speaking both English (native) and Japanese (non-native)❏ Department of Psychology❏ Various Japanese classes

❏ East-West Center residence halls

❏ Word of mouth

Procedure1. Survey❏ Indicate native & non-native language (and if applicable, other

languages known)❏ Use of Likert scale to measure non-native language proficiency using

four items: speaking, comprehension, writing, and reading (Heidlmayr et al., 2013)❏ Measures of fluency for non-native language

Procedure cont’d2. Complete Stroop task in native and non-native languages

❏ Participants are counterbalanced so there is an even number for native or non-native condition first (either English/Japanese)

❏ Always used matched chart first before the mismatched chart❏ Directions: “You’ll see color words with the matching ink color in

English, report back in English”❏ Measuring DV’s:

❏ Completion Time❏ Accuracy (using a premade answer key)

English-matched

red green blue purple

blue brown red green

brown red purple blue

purple blue green brown

green purple brown red

blue brown red green

purple blue green brown

green purple brown red

red green blue purple

brown red purple blue

English-mismatched

green purple brown red

purple blue green brown

brown red purple blue

blue brown red green

purple blue green brown

brown red purple blue

red green blue purple

green purple brown red

blue brown red green

red green blue purple

Japanese-matched

むらさき みどり あか あお

ちゃいろ むらさき みどり あか

みどり あお あか むらさき

あお みどり むらさき ちゃいろ

あか ちゃいろ あお みどり

みどり むらさき ちゃいろ あお

ちゃいろ あか むらさき みどり

あお ちゃいろ みどり あか

むらさき あか あお ちゃいろ

あか あお ちゃいろ むらさき

Japanese- mismatched

ちゃいろ みどり あか あお

むらさき あお ちゃいろ みどり

あか ちゃいろ みどり むらさき

みどり むらさき ちゃいろ あか

あお あか むらさき ちゃいろ

むらさき ちゃいろ あお みどり

ちゃいろ みどり あか あお

みどり むらさき あお あか

あか あお むらさき ちゃいろ

あお あか みどり むらさき

Preliminary Results❏ n= 9

❏ English = Native❏ Japanese = Non-Native

❏ Limitations❏ Data collection ongoing❏ Control for proficiency

❏ Potential Conclusions❏ Testing Native Japanese

speakers

❏ Revised hypothesis for true bilinguals

ReferencesHeidlmayr, K., Moutier, S., Hemforth, B., Courtin, C., Tanzmeister, R., &

Isel, F. (2013). Successive bilingualism and executive functions: The effect

of second language use on inhibitory control in a behavioural Stroop Colour

Word task. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 17(03), 630-645.

doi:10.1017/s1366728913000539

Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal

of Experimental Psychology, IS, 643-662.

http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Stroop/

Questions?