Virtual apartment stroop task: Comparison with computerized and traditional stroop tasks

Background: Measurement of supervisory attentional control is typically performed by placing task-relevant information in conflict with task-irrelevant information. A number of paper-and-pencil versions of the Stroop task have been developed to assess executive functioning and inhibitory control through the presentation of blocks of multiple Stroop stimuli on a card. While multi-item paper-and-pencil Stroop tasks are often used, there are instances when a single-item presentation of Stroop stimuli may be preferable. For example, there may be situations when neuropsychologists are interested in precise analysis of reaction times for individual stimuli. A limitation of these modalities is that they may not reflect the cognitive load found in everyday activities that are replete with distractors. New method: A potential answer to this issue is to embed Stroop stimuli into a virtual environment that includes distractors. Comparison with existing method: We compared the performance of 91 healthy undergraduates on a virtual apartment-based Stroop with traditional (multi-item) and computerized (single item) modalities. Results: Results revealed that the classic “Stroop pattern” found in traditional modalities was observed in the Virtual Apartment Stroop task. Furthermore, participants performed more poorly on the Virtual Apartment Stroop task when distractors were present. Conclusions: These results suggest the potential of the Virtual Apartment Stroop task to distinguish between prepotent response inhibition and resistance to distractor inhibition in young adults.