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Reaction time in Stroop test in Nepalese Medical Students
Nisha Ghimire1, Bishnu Hari Paudel2, Rita Khadka3
1Assistant Professor, Department of Basic and Clinical Physiology, B. P koirala Institute of Health Sciences , Dharan, Nepal .
Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research : JCDR
|November 12, 2014
Summary
Nepalese medical students exhibit significantly longer reaction times and increased errors on the incongruent Stroop test compared to the congruent version. This suggests potential challenges in selective attention when processing conflicting stimuli in English.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Medical Education
Background:
- The Stroop test is a key tool for assessing selective attention in cognitive psychology.
- Bilingualism, common among Nepalese students learning in English, can influence selective attention.
- This study investigates selective attention in healthy Nepalese medical students.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate selective attention using the Stroop test in Nepalese medical students.
- To compare reaction times between congruent and incongruent Stroop test conditions.
Main Methods:
- The study involved 30 healthy male medical students (mean age 23.1±2.8 years).
- Participants completed congruent and incongruent Stroop card tests.
- Reaction times and error rates were recorded and analyzed using Wilcoxon's Sign Rank Test.
Main Results:
- Incongruent Stroop test completion was significantly slower (82.10 sec longer, p<0.001).
- Errors were significantly higher for the incongruent test (1.5 errors, p<0.001), with 60% of students making errors.
- High interference percentage (157%) was observed in the incongruent condition.
Conclusions:
- Nepalese medical students demonstrate increased reaction time and interference on the incongruent Stroop test.
- The observed interference is notably higher than in previous studies.
- This suggests delayed attentional processing in Nepalese students performing the English Stroop test.
