Stroop Test
A colour word appears printed in a colour. Tap the colour of the ink, not what the word says. Sometimes it asks for the word instead.
Why it is so hard
Reading is automatic for most adults, so when the word "RED" is printed in blue ink, the word pushes for an answer you have to hold back. John Ridley Stroop described the effect in 1935: naming the ink colour of clashing colour words is slower and more error-prone than naming plain colour patches (Stroop, 1935). It's one of the most studied effects in psychology, used to look at attention and inhibition: keeping to the task when something else grabs you.
How Brainbay's version works
You have 60 seconds. The more you get right in a row, the more points each answer earns. Higher levels add more clashing words, buttons that move, a fifth colour, and rounds that ask for the word instead (the prompt says which). There's a colour-blind friendly palette in Settings.
Tips
- Blur your eyes slightly so the colour arrives before the word.
- Look at a single letter rather than the whole word.
- Check the prompt every round once the "word" rounds start.
How to play
- A colour word appears, printed in a colour.
- Tap the colour of the INK, not what the word says.
- Sometimes it asks for the WORD instead. Read the prompt.
Scoring and levels
You have 60 seconds. Every right answer scores, and answers in a row score more. Two right in a row step you up a level; a wrong one steps you down, so it stays a stretch without getting stuck. Every game shows a short demo before you start, and your last ten scores are on the result screen.
In everyday life
Holding back an automatic response is something you do all day: not reading every notification, keeping to the speed limit when the road is clear, or answering the question that was asked rather than the one you expected.
Questions
What does the Stroop test measure?
How well you can hold back an automatic response (reading) to do the task you were given (naming the ink).
Is there a colour-blind version?
Yes. Turn on Colour-blind friendly in Settings for colours that stay apart for every kind of colour vision.
Who invented it?
J. R. Stroop published it in 1935.
Related
Brain tests
Brain games by topic
Guides
Sources
- Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18(6). doi.org/10.1037/h0054651
Brainbay is for practice and fun. Your scores show how you do at these games; they don't measure IQ or diagnose anything.