Abstract
In two experiments that we conducted with adult (Experiment 1) and child (Experiment 2) participants, we experimentally controlled the eyes' first fixation in the word using a variable viewing-position technique in a classical all-letter-coloring Stroop procedure. We explored the impact of initial-fixation position (optimal viewing position [OVP] vs. end of the word) on the magnitude of Stroop effects (both interference and facilitation). The results showed that both interference and facilitation effects were reduced when the first fixation was located at the end of the word rather than at the OVP. These data make a new contribution to the study of the role of low-level processes in Stroop effects and add support to the growing body of research indicating that oculomotor processes can act as moderators of cognitive processes in the determination of Stroop effects.
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Partial support for the present research was provided by a grant from the Conseil Régional PACA and the Conseil Général des Bouches du Rhône to S.D.
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Perret, P., Ducrot, S. Viewing-position effects in the Stroop task: Initial fixation position modulates Stroop effects in fully colored words. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 17, 550–555 (2010). https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.17.4.550
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.17.4.550