Reducing color-color interference by optimizing selection for action

Role of Gestalt grouping in selective attention: Evidence from the Stroop task

“…Here, we will discuss our experimental results and their implications for our understanding of visual attention. In earlier research, the paradoxical effect was obtained with color-color stimuli (La Heij et al, 1995), separated color-word Stroop stimuli (La Heij et al, 2001, Experiments 1 and 2; Neumann, 1986), and integral color-word stimuli (La Heij et al, 2001, Experiments 3-6;Neumann, 1986). In our first experiment, we established that the paradoxical exposure duration effect could also be replicated with semi-integral color-word Stroop stimuli.…”

“…This seems counterintuitive: Although only the distractor word remained in the display, responses exhibited less interference from it, as compared with the more standard situation in which both the target and the distractor stayed present until response. Thus, removing the target from the screen helps people ignore irrelevant information.In a series of experiments investigating color-color interference, La Heij, Kaptein, Kalff, and de Lange (1995) found similar, albeit somewhat contrary, results with regard to the reduced interference effect. They used a variation of the flanker task (Eriksen & Eriksen, 1974), in which a target color bar presented at fixation point was enclosed by color bar distractors immediately to the left and right of the target.…”

“…In the case of integral color-word Stroop stimuli or the color-color flanker stimuli used by La Heij et al (1995), the target and the distractor are positioned very close to each other in space. Neumann argued that the inability of the participants to focus attention solely on the target color is the critical factor that is responsible for the processing of the distractor up to the stage where interference is located.…”

“…Both Neumann (1986) and La Heij et al (1995) argued that when the target color is removed from a display with spatially separated targets and distractors, this abrupt color offset might draw attention toward the former spatial position of the target and away from the distractor word. In this way, the interference from a word would be reduced by redirecting the attentional spotlight (Eriksen & Eriksen, 1974;Glaser & Glaser, 1982;Posner, Snyder, & Davidson, 1980;Treisman & Gelade, 1980) to another location.…”

“…In a series of experiments investigating color-color interference, La Heij, Kaptein, Kalff, and de Lange (1995) found similar, albeit somewhat contrary, results with regard to the reduced interference effect. They used a variation of the flanker task (Eriksen & Eriksen, 1974), in which a target color bar presented at fixation point was enclosed by color bar distractors immediately to the left and right of the target.…”