Stroop-Like Interference in the Real Animal Size Test and the Pictorial Animal Size Test in 5- to 12-Year-Old Children and Young Adults

Abstract

This study examined prepotent response inhibition among 653 5- to 12-year-old children and young adults divided into five age groups: forty-six 5- to 6-year-olds, one hundred fifty-eight 7- to 8-year-olds, one hundred ninety-six 9- to 10-year-olds, one hundred eighty-three 11- to 12-year-olds, and 70 young adults (19- to 22-year-olds). Two paper-and-pencil versions of Stroop-like tasks were administered: the Real Animal Size Test and the Pictorial Animal Size Test. In these tests, participants are presented with pictures of animals (large animals such as an elephant, a giraffe, and a whale vs. small animals such as a frog, a bird, and a squirrel) printed as either big or small images that are mismatched with the animal's real size. Participants are required to decide the size of the animals (big vs. small) based on either the size in real life or the size of the picture. The results indicated the following: (a) The Pictorial Animal Size Test elicited robust interference, whereas the Real Animal Size Test elicited no interference; (b) prepotent response inhibition develops markedly in childhood and between children and young adults; and (c) error correction increased rapidly after age 8. The mechanism of interference and the influence of metacognition on prepotent response inhibition are discussed.

Key words:

• error correction
• executive function
• inhibitory control
• metacognition
• shape bias
• Stroop Test

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research was supported by a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Research Fellowship for Young Scientists (to Y. I.). The authors thank all children and teachers who participated in the study and the kindergarten and school administrators who supported data collection.

Notes

¹Although the day–night task, in which participants are presented with two pictures and are required to inhibit to name what the card shown represents and instead say what the other card represents, has also been used with preliterate children (Gerstadt, Hong, & Diamond, 1994; Pasalich, Livesey, & Livesey, 2010; Simpson & Riggs, 2005), this task is not classified into the Stroop-like task, which is defined more strictly here as shared with two-dimensional stimuli associated with two different and competing responses.

Note. Boldface denotes a significant difference.

*p < .05. ***p < .001.

Note. Boldface denotes a significant difference.

***p < .001.

Note. Boldface denotes a significant difference.

***p < .001.

Note. Boldface denotes a significant difference.

***p < .001.