Abstract
Background: The Stroop Colour-Word Test is a widely used neuropsychological test. This test is designed to assess impaired concentration and the struggle to stay focused despite of distractions. There are conflicting data on the gender difference in Stroop test.
Objectives: To make a gender comparison of the reaction time by Stroop Colour-Word Test in young healthy medical students.
Methods: This was a cross -sectional analytical study conducted at the Department of Physiology, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences from 2022 August to 2022 October. Stroop Color Word test was done in healthy medical students with three different cards, a control card (colour word written in black color), congruent card (colour word written in same color as written word) and incongruent card (colour word written in different colour then word written). The number of errors made and reaction time was noted. Paired t-test was applied. Gender comparison was made and independent sample t-test was done.
Results: Out of total 130 participants, 68 were females and 62 were males. The number of errors made was 0,0 and 12.8 ± 2 and the reaction time was 38.3 ± 2.3, 37.2 ± 2.8 ,72.5 ± 5.6 seconds for control, congruent and incongruent card respectively which was statistically significant for incongruent card. There was no significant difference between males and females.
Conclusion: Reaction time by Stroop Colour-Word Test is longer for incongruent words. There is no gender difference in errors made or reaction time in Stroop Colour-Word Test.
References
Golden CJ. Stroop Colour and Word Test: A manual for clinical and experimental uses. Chicago, Illinois: Skoelting; 1978. [Full Text]
Stroop JR. Studies of Interference in Serial Verbal Reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology. 1935;18: 643-662. [Full Text | DOI]
Vitkovitch M, Bishop S, Dancey C, Richards A. Stroop interference and negative priming in patients with multiple sclerosis. Neuropsychologia. 2002;40(9):1570-6. [PubMed | Full Text | DOI]
MacLeod CM. Half a century of research on the stroop effect: An integrative review. Psychol Bull. 1991;109:163-203. [PubMed | Full Text | DOI]
Peretti PO. Cross - sex and cross - educational level performance in a color-word interference task. Psychon Sci. 1969;16:321-3. [PubMed | Full Text | DOI]
Waber D. Sex differences in cognition: a function of maturation rate? Science. 1976;192: 572-4. [PubMed | Full Text | DOI]
Mekarski JE, Cutmore TRH, Suboski W. Gender differences during processing of the stroop task. percept mot skills. 1996;83:563-8. [PubMed | Full Text | DOI]
Ghimire N, Poudel BH, Khadka R, Singh PN. Reaction time in Stroop test in Nepalese Medical Students. JCDR. 2014; 8(9):BC14-BC16. [PubMed | Full Text | DOI]
Sarmany I. Different performance in Stroop ?s interference test from the aspect of personality and sex. Studia Psychologica. 1977;19(1):60-7. [PubMed | Full Text]
Datta K, Nebhinani N, Dixit A. Gender Differences in Performance on Hindi - English Stroop Task. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2020;64(1):45-9. [PubMed | Full Text | DOI]
Baroun K, Bader A. Gender difference in performance on the Stroop test. Social Behavior and Personality; Palmerston North. 2006;34(3):309-17. [Full text | DOI]
Sjoberg EA, Wilner RG, D’Souza A, Cole GG. The stroop task sex difference: Evolved inhibition or color naming? Archives of Sexual Behavior. 2023;52:315-23. [Full Text | DOI]
Rezaei M. Neuropsychological Decomposing Stroop Interference Into Different Cognitive Monitoring: An Exploratory Factor Analysis. Basic Clin Neurosci. 2019 Sep-Oct;10(5):475-83. [PubMed | Full Text | DOI]