Facilitation on the Stroop Effect - Case Study Example

THE EFFECT OF A PASSIVE NON-EVALUATIVE OBSERVER ON THE STROOP-EFFECT The stroop-effect measures a persons reaction time when faced with the task of reading out words that have been written in different colours. It is perceived that cognitive control is a result of the brains successful resolution of a variety of tasks that are imposed on it by various processes. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on repeated measures whereby 38 A-level art students were subjected to a series of tasks. In the first measure, participants were exposed to congruent and incongruent tasks in the absence of an observer (alone group). In the second measure, the same participants were exposed to the incongruent and congruent tasks in the presence of the researcher (paired group). The time they took to read out the words on the computer screen was noted at each point. On analysis of this data, it was realized that there was a statistical difference (P=0001) between the time taken to complete the incongruent task by the alone group and the time taken to complete the incongruent task by the paired group. The effect of a passive non-evaluative observer on the stroop-effect Introduction The Stroop-effect is an interesting psychological phenomenon that has been the centre of various studies. Its intricate stimulation of the brain allows for a variety of studies to be conducted as relates to mental function. The stroop-effect simply studies a persons reaction time in terms of reading out words that have been written in various colours (MacLeod, 1991). The study which employs the use of repeated measures, studies a participants reaction time when reading a word that has been written in congruent ink (such as the letter green written in green ink). A second measure is then taken that measures a persons reaction time while reading a word that has been written in incongruent ink (such as the word blue written in the colour red) (Stroop, 1935). The stroop-effect implies that a persons reaction time is interfered with when they are made to read words that have been written in incongruent ink. This test has often been used in various clinical tests and studies of mental performance to diagnose various diseases like brain damage and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The response time in such individuals and in such cases is greatly reduced and they thus take a long time to identify and pronounce the items in these tasks. The original studies conducted on the stroop-effect however did not take into account the effect of social facilitation. They merely focussed on a persons response time in the absence of other environmental factors. This study therefore seeks to fill this gap by exploring the effect of the users environment on response rate. This will seek to provide further insight into how people with various conditions diagnosed by the stroop-effect can be assisted. Social facilitation is an essential part of any reading or studying process. It often involves the presence of a person who may take part either directly or indirectly in the studying process. The mere presence of a person in the room greatly changes the outcome of a studying process. It can be implied that a person in the room increases the concentration level of a student as compared to when there is no facilitation. According to Sharma et al., (2010), “contemporary research into social facilitation and the stroop-effect suggests that the presence of a passive non-evaluative observer can reduce the level of interference caused in the incongruent condition of the stroop-effect, and therefore increased performance”. It is possible that facilitation simply improves a persons concentration level thereby allowing them to say the words out much faster. The presence of the observer can also however negatively affect the results of the study. The exact mechanisms by which the passive observer principles operate is not clearly known, however, it is possible that provided the inappropriate type of passive observer; the results could also indicate a decrease in performance. Problem Statement There is limited information on the effect of social facilitation on stroop interference. Hypothesis There is no difference in level of interference in the incongruent condition of the stroop effect, with or without presence of a passive non-evaluative observer. Method Participants The participants who were selected for the study were aged between 15 and 16 years. A total of 38 A level students were selected for the study. Among these, 22 were female and the rest male. Design A cross-sectional study was undertaken whereby data was collected at a point in time. The research design utilized repeated measures whereby change over a period of time was assessed. One group of students were exposed to two different types of conditions on two separate occasions. Materials Computers Desks Chairs Reading material / content Procedure The students were asked to sit in front of a computer and read out various words aloud as they came up on the computer screen. In the first measure, students were asked to read out aloud 20 words that were written in congruent colour and another 20 words that were written in incongruent colour. The time they took to individually say out the words was noted down. The students were then given a 5 minute break to prevent word rehearsal. The words were not randomized. In the second measure, the order was reversed. The students were now asked to read out 20 words that had been written in incongruent colour followed by 20 words that were written in congruent colour. In addition, the researcher was present in the room during this session at different distances each time. The researcher did not speak out during the session and only sat quietly. The time that they took to individually read out the words was noted down. The distance of the researcher was however not noted. Ethics Consent was obtained from the students before the research study was undertaken. Because the research study was being conducted at school and during school hours, research was obtained from the head teacher. Because the study was being conducted during school hours, the childrens parents were not informed and neither was consent obtained. A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check was not obtained by the researcher. Results The mean age of students who participated in the study was 15.5 years with 57 per cent being female. In the first group where participants were alone, the group took an average of 3.89 seconds to complete the congruent task and 6.64 seconds to complete the incongruent task. In the second group where participants were paired with a researcher, the group took an average of 3.39 seconds to complete the congruent task and 5.17 seconds to complete the incongruent task. A t-test performed on the alone group showed that there was a statistical difference between the time taken to complete the congruent task and the time taken to complete the incongruent task (p= 0.00000009). A t-test performed on the paired group showed that there was a statistical difference between the time taken to complete the congruent task and the time taken to complete the incongruent task (p= 0.00001). A t-test performed on the time taken to complete the incongruent task in the alone group and in the paired group realized a p-value of 0.001. This is Read More