A sensory origin for color-word stroop effects in aging: A meta-analysis

Abstract

An increase in Stroop effects with age is often interpreted as reflecting reductions in selective attention, or alternatively, cognitive slowing with age. In a cross-lab and a cross-sectional analysis, we linked sensory losses to Stroop declines. Specifically, we found that the latency difference, or dimensional imbalance, between reading and naming the font color of color-neutral words increased with age. A cross-sectional analysis revealed that this dimensional imbalance can both mediate the effects of age on Stroop effects, and contribute to Stroop after controlling for age effects. We conclude that age-related changes in color perception contribute to and may mediate age-related changes in Stroop.