John Osborn

Lab Questions
Stroop Effect
1. What was the independent variable for the Stroop experiment? What are the levels of this IV? What was
the dependent variable for the Stroop experiment?
The IV was the word and color combination. The DV was how quickly one responded to that color combination. The
levels were matching color and word (ex. red in red letters) or mismatched color and word (ex. red in green letters).

2. Do you think that practice increases or decreases the Stroop Effect why?
Practice should decrease reaction time. Hypothetically, one would get used to focusing on one aspect or another (color or
the word) and would be able to more effectively control the automatic process of reading rather than identifying the color.

3. How could one use the Stroop Effect to identify if someone with a phobia for spiders? Indicate how you
would set-up a test and what you would predict.
Have the person identify the color of a word in a list of neutral words and record their reaction time for spider related
words. If they paused over the arachnid words, one would assume that they would take longer to react as they would also
be processing and recoiling from the spider-terminology, their mental capacity taking extra time to register the fear of the
spiders.
4. How could a federal security officer use the Stroop Effect to identify a suspected enemy double agent?
Indicate how you would set-up a test and what you would predict.
Tell them to identify a color of a word with a list of neutral words and record whether they took longer for words related
to treason and deceit. If they pause, hypothetically their distraction would suggest that they had to divert neurological
processing to continuing their faade as a double agent.
5. Indicate how automatic and controlled processes are involved in the Stroop Effect.
One uses automatic processing for reading the letters of the word and then controlled processing to focus solely on the
color rather than the word.

Attentional Blink
1. Imagine that you are to make a graphic prediction for the results of a study based on Attentional Blink
Theory. Please, represent your graphic prediction by drawing a graph plotting Percent Reported (Y-axis)
as a function of Target Separation (X-axis) do a separate line for both the first target and the second
target conditions.

2. What two methodological changes could you make to the experimental design of the current lab to
increase the chance of seeing the second target think stimulus features?
1. Changing the color for the specific letters would allow one to identify them more easily and would set them apart from
the neutral letters.
2. Changing the speed on each test to a slower pace would make it easier to register one letter and then another and
allow one to reset ones attention from the attentional refractory period.
3. Discuss how attention and attentional blink are related to long-term memory.

John Osborn
When the brain has focuses attention searching for a specific stimulus and then encounters that stimulus, it must expend
cognitive effort to commit that encounter to long-term memory. Expending that energy and attention means that there is a
small period wherein the brain cannot focus on taking in stimuli. That moment is the attentional blink wherein that effort of
committing the first stimulus to long-term memory takes away attentional abilities.

4. What are the independent variables for the Attentional Blink experiment? What are the levels of the IVs?
What is the dependent variable for the Attentional Blink experiment?
The Independent Variables are the difference in time between when one or both of the stimuli flash across the screen and
deciding which letter(s) flashed at all. The Dependent variable, meanwhile, is whether or not the participant can
accurately notice both of the letters or the specific letter.
The levels were: just the first letter, just the second letter, or both letters. All letters being randomly placed in proximity
and throughout the order of letters.
5. What is the experimental design for this experiment and what type of statistical analysis would you use to
analyze the data?
The experimental design is to have a participant stare at a screen where a series of letters flash quickly. The participant
searches for two stimuli (one of two specific letters in a random string of irrelevant letters). They then determine whether
both letters were present, or just one of them. The letters are placed at different lengths apart from one another to
determine the length of attentional blink. The recommended statistical analysis would be simple regression.