Stroop Color Word / Martha Hayden

Identifier:FA.B109.1852

Dimensions:7.5 x 5.25 in; 19 x 13.4 cm

Creation dates:2011

Subjects: Accordion books, colors, psychology

Description:Edition 7 of 25. Digitally printed book, 7.5 x 5.25 inches, 8 pages, printed both sides, illustrating the "Stroop" effect. Signed by the artist. "The 'Stroop Effect' is named after J. Ridley Stroop who first published the phenomenon in English in 1935. The Stroop test demonstrates reaction time. When the name of a color ('blue,' 'green,' or 'red') is printed in a color not denoted by the name (the word 'red' printed in blue ink instead of red ink), naming the color of the word takes longer and is more prone to errors than when the color of the ink matches the name of the color. It is often used as a measure of impulsiveness, and is one of the most commonly used diagnostic tools in clinical psychology. The brain must focus on one particular feature of a task, while blocking out other features. An Artist's ability to focus on the color of the color and note the meaning of the word might allow better than average reaction times. if the test is taken upside down, reaction times will decrease due to less interference. If a person does not understand the meaning of the words, there will be no conflict. The vast majority of research regarding the Stroop effect has focused on why 'facilitation' and 'interference' occur and the underlying brain mechanisms. (To take the test, compare the amount to time taken to read the words in black or in the correct colors (facilitation) to the time needed to name the colors of the words on the last page (interference). This book is made with banana paper, acid-free, durable, chemical-free, and handmade in the mountains of Costa Rica using only recycled materials." -- colophon