Carrying out a stroop effect experiment

Carrying out a stroop effect experiment It has been proposed that it is difficult to control automatic processes as they were unconsciously carried out. This meant that they could intrude on other tasks. The Stroop Effect looked at how automatic processing would interfere with colour identification. It was discovered that identifying ink colour was made more difficult when looking at a list of colour related words than when looking at colour neutral words and so This experiment attempted to study automatic processing by using a variation of the Stroop Effect test. 22 Participants were given two lists of 30 words. On each list, six words were repeated five times in varying colours. The Condition 1 (appendix 2) list contained incongruent words, whilst the Condition 2 list (appendix 3) contained congruent words. Half of Participants were tested on Condition 1 first, followed by Condition 2. The other half began the test with Condition 2, followed by Condition 1. The time each Participant took to name the colour ink the words were printed in was recorded and measured (See appendix 1 for results). (158-100) Introduction A great deal of the way that people perceive things involves automatic processing. This occurs outside of the conscious mind and so requires no effort. It has been found, however, that some level of interference between the automatic and controlled processes can happen. Information from the senses and from that already stored in memory has to be processed from a cognitive system that has a limited capacity. Reading is an automatic process and recognising a colour is a controlled process. Putting both together should cause interference in the ability to both read and recognise the colour of the ink the words are printed in. The general idea of automatic processing interfering with other tasks has been researched by many psychologists. Shneider Shiffrin (1977) set up an experiment in which participants had to memorize a set of numbers or letters and then find those numbers or letters in a much larger set. It was found that it was much easier to recognise a number in a set of letters (Or the reverse), than it was to recognise a number in a set of numbers or a letter in a set of letters. ********************************** The rationale for this experiment was to test another variation on the stroop effect. The experimental hypothesis was that the time taken to name the ink colour on the condition 1 list of incongruent words would be longer than that of the time taken to name the colour ink on the condition 2 list of congruent words. The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference in time taken for the two conditions. (-500) Method (657) Design The experiment employed a within-subjects design. This design was chosen because the same participants were used in both conditions. The independent variable was the colour ink the words were printed in. Two lists of 30 words were provided (Appendix 2 3). The 30 words on each list consisted of 6 words repeated 5 times in varying colours. Each participant was asked to name the colour ink each word was printed in, in as fast a time as possible. On the condition 1 list of incongruent words, the words listed all had a relation to a colour. For example, the word sky has a relation to the colour blue. The words were printed in a colour removed from that with which they were normally associated. The condition 2 list contained congruent words and the words had no particular relation to a colour. The dependent variable was the length of time taken to name the colour ink each word was printed in. A measure was taken of the time participants took to name the colour ink of all the words printed on the list. Times were taken for condition 1 and for condition 2. The time was taken in seconds using a stopwatch and the length of time it took each participant to complete the entire list to the nearest second was noted. In order to reduce the possibility of any confounding variables, half of the participants began with condition 1 and half with condition 2. Individual times were then noted on the response sheet to later be compared with results from the other condition. Materials The materials that were used in this experiment were made up of 2 cards containing lists of 30 words. The 30 words were made up of 6 words repeated 5 times in varying colours. (Appendix 2 3) A stopwatch, consent forms and a response sheet were also used. Procedure Participants were fully informed about what the study would involve and were given the opportunity to withdraw if they wished. They were told that the study would involve a variation of the Stroop Effect and that they would be required to name the colour ink the words were printed in, in as quick a time as possible. They were made aware that the study was looking at the effects of interference between automatic and controlled processing. The possible effects of driving whilst using a mobile phone was used as an example in helping them understand the underlying reasons behind the study. They were informed that all resulting data would be anonymous and that no names would be given on the response sheet or to anybody else. All participants agreed to take part in the study and signed a consent form. Participants were placed in a well lit, quiet room and shown a set of instructions that told them****************** When they were ready to commence the test the participants turned over a sheet of card containing either Condition 1 or Condition 2 words. The sheet of card had been placed on a table, upside down in front of them. They began reading the list of words given and were timed to measure their individual performances. When the first test was complete, the participants were given a two minute break before the second test commenced. Half of the participants began with the Condition 1 list and half began with the Condition 2 list. Include how responses were recorded and mention the debriefing of participants. Redo data as have not put in time chart difference between starting condition 1 first or condition 2 first. Results As this was a within-subject design, a paired-samples t-test was used to analyse the data. The analysis showed a t value of 3.78 (To 2 sig figures). This positive result showed***************************** Mean SD= 4.945 T=3.774 df=21 p=.001 D= 0.65 (To 2 sig figures) This shows that the independent variable had a medium to high effect on the dependent variable. The data showed that the mean for condition 1 was higher than the mean for condition 2. The standard deviation of time that was taken to complete the two lists was compared and the difference calculated at 0.53. This showed********************* Discussion There was an increase in the time it took participants to read condition 1 over condition 2. This confirms previous research and is supportive of the experimental hypothesis. It was observed that participants appeared to show a much greater degree of concentration when completing condition 1 than in condition 2. Whilst when completing the condition 2 part of the study it appeared, even without considering the time taken, that participants found it much easier and it did indeed appear to be a much more automatic process than condition 1. Some errors were made, although very few. Those that were made, but not noticed by the participant showed that in the real world, the interference between automatic and controlled processing could have quite detrimental affects. An example of this would be in the case of***************** Reading appeared to be such a deeply rooted, automatic process that even when attempting to relay the ink colour the word was printed in, participants appeared to have to make an extra effort to stop themselves from reading the words themselves.

the Accident - Short Story :: essays research papers

The "Accident" The pick-up bounced jarringly down the old dirt road. The driver sat up straight in the front seat, checking over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure that her cargo hadn't fallen out. * * * * * She wasn't sure why she had done it, but the fact was, she had and she did not want to get caught. There was no way she could tell anyone, not even her best friend. What was she supposed to do? Go to the police? Tell them that it was an "accident"? She wasn't sure how you "accidentally" stabbed someone 6 times in the back. It had partially been his fault too. If he hadn't made her so mad, she wouldn't have jokingly gotten the knife out of the kitchen drawer. 'I'm going to kill you', she had said. But she didn't really mean it. Did she? Their argument got more heated, until he was screaming at her. And then he hit her. She was too shocked to say anything. He had always been so gentle. She stared at him for a minute, and then he turned around to leave. She's not sure what came over her at that minute, she doesn't even remember what she was thinking. But she does remember jumping on him, and knocking him to the floor, and then taking her knife and plunging it in and out of his back. She had no recollection of what happened for the next 10 minutes, perhaps she blacked out, but when she finally stood up, she knew what she had to do. She walked out to the garage and got a tarp down off the shelf. Her father used it to cover the wood pile, but she figured he probably wouldn't notice it was gone for a while. She took the tarp back into the kitchen and rolled the body on to it, checking to make sure that she didn't get blood onto anything that would be noticeably stained. The large pool of blood on the floor would be a problem, but she'd take care of that when she got back. She finally managed to get his body into the back of her truck. He had been a fairly good sized boy, and it was a struggle for her. She made sure that it was secure in the back, since the gate didn't always close right. She didn't want any accidental spills in the middle of the road.

Technology and the Future of Formal Education

The responsibilities for the formal preparation of students for education in the future are dynamic and diverse. What priorities are most important for the future of the Australian education system? The mission statement of The Cathedral School is to be a caring, Christian community in which students are challenged and inspired to explore, learn and grow so they will be equipped to make wise decisions as informed members of society. The Aims of The Cathedral School is; To be a centre for academic excellence. To encourage an understanding that the spiritual and moral aspects of life are central to our humanity. To affirm the unique worth of the individual. To inspire our students through creative, purposeful, enjoyable learning to reach their full potential. To develop attitudes which are anticipatory, visionary and reflective. To educate our students to be discerning, sensitive and responsible. Both the mission statements as well as the aims are very thorough, but they lack the understanding of the information age. They do not mention technology or the future ahead. The change to the culture of the classroom environment with the introduction of technology is a serious matter to look at. Overall the introduction of technology in the classroom is a great benefit to students, giving them access to word processing applications, as well and access to the World Wide Wed and CD-ROM†s. This large amount of knowledge flowing from the computer to the brains of the students is very overwhelming. Students will have to learn how to sift though this large amount of information to find what is important, trust worthy and also most importantly, relevant. The importance of information technology literacy in the information age is a vital life skill. In order to be able to handle and access information a student will need to have the ability to use a computer well. If a student has not had experience with computers, it will seriously disadvantage them in their study as well and the classroom environment. The role of technologies distance education is an exciting and interesting topic. Information can be sent and delivered in seconds, which breaches the gap between teachers and students. They are always new products becoming available to help in the advancement and ease of distance education. One major problem with the use of technology is the cost element. To establish a network of computers and information databases to be used by the average student is a extremely large task. As well as setting the whole system up, there is a need for constant monitoring of the system to predict as well as fix hardware, software and user problems. Discipline in schools is still an important part of the learning process. It is needed to teach the student to behave appropriately, which is most definitely a crucial life skill. They must learn discipline if they are going to fit into society properly. Discipline in schools last century was very different from today†s classrooms. They were much more strict back in those days. However, with the consideration of the individual†s needs, discipline in today†s classrooms has been noticeably decreased. Overall, you cannot assume if this is good or bad, its good to be well disciplined which helps you with your study and keeping to a timetable. On the other hand, a decrease in discipline gives a student individuality and a chance to express themselves. It is also important to have a balance between knowledge and process skills. It is equally important to teach knowledge and well as thinking skills. In the past only knowledge was taught, but in the information age today, it is quite impossible to learn everything, so process skills are taught to help us think logically. There is a need for more specialised subjects in schools because of the variety of information and jobs. Money in schools should be spent on technology in order to keep the students at the cutting edge of development and information. There is also powerful pressure put on students to cope with the overwhelming amount of knowledge made available though information technology. As well as this there is also parental pressure to pursue success in top fields. New technology can help us achieve our goals more easily and in a more meaningful way.

Comparison of Wordsworth Tintern Abbey and Blakes Songs of Innocence and Experience Free Essay Example, 1500 words

Blake s emphasis on children is due to his perception of how they view the world in its purest form to comprehend the natural world through a visionary attitude. The collection of poems, Songs of Innocence and Experience, manifests the philosophical, theological development of Blake winding up in a rationale that is visibly apparent in his works. Timothy Vines explains the usage of the bird as a symbol by Blake to represent creative liberty and innocence (2005, 116). Thus, innocence is demonstrated through the employment of symbolism and reading between the lines, it is apparent that Blake is suggesting a unity with God. On the other hand, the experience is illustrated through the imagery of darkness and dense forestry where man is but alone. Hence, the experience is what led to Man s desolation from imagination as a result of flourishing rationality which detached human beings from abstract and fantastical awareness allowing only reason to dominate one s thoughts. So, in his explan ation of innocence and the subsequent development of man to a state of experience, Blake refers to natural phenomena and symbols so as to explain his articulation through Romanticism. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of Wordsworth Tintern Abbey and Blakes Songs of Innocence and Experience or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page In Tintern Abbey, Wordsworth draws great inspiration from nature as he explains the beautiful landscape of the site (23). Wordsworth recollects his experiences from five years when he visited the place. The retained memories of the scenic forms of Tintern Abbey are actually the remembrances that assist him in remaining coherent in his thinking.