Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
05:31
Examining Bilingual Language Control Using the Stroop Task
Published on: February 26, 2020
Viewing-position effects in the Stroop task: Initial fixation position modulates Stroop effects in fully colored
Patrick Perret1, Stéphanie Ducrot
1Laboratoire PsyCLE, Université de Provence, 29 Av. Robert Schuman, 13621 Aix-en-Provence Cedex 1, France. patrick.perret@univ-provence.fr
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|August 13, 2010
Summary
The initial eye fixation position significantly impacts cognitive processing. Fixing the first eye gaze at the word
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Factors
Background:
- The Stroop task is a classic method for studying cognitive interference.
- Understanding how initial visual attention influences cognitive processes is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of initial eye fixation position on Stroop effects.
- To determine if oculomotor processes moderate cognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with adult and child participants.
- A variable viewing-position technique was used in a Stroop procedure.
- The first eye fixation was experimentally controlled at the optimal viewing position (OVP) versus the end of the word.
Main Results:
- Both Stroop interference and facilitation effects were reduced when initial fixation was at the word's end.
- This reduction was observed in both adult and child participants.
Conclusions:
- Low-level visual processing, specifically oculomotor control, plays a role in Stroop effects.
- Oculomotor processes can act as moderators of cognitive processes, influencing task outcomes.
