Yesterday, I saw an unfamiliar word: Stroop.
I reacted by googling “Stroop” with my trusty, stroop phone.
Now, I’m not saying that I used “stroop” correctly in that previous paragraph. But doesn’t “stroop” sound like it might mean something that fits there?
Anyway, Google quickly found this Stroop Wikipedia entry:
The Stroop effect is the finding that naming the color of the first set of words is easier and quicker than the second. In psychology, the Stroop effect is a demonstration of interference in the reaction time of a task.
I’ll name this: that Wikipedia definition of Stroop did not make it easier or quicker for me to identify the stroop I had just seen. Indeed, it interfered in my reaction time finding out what “stroop” meant.
Before I show you photos I took yesterday, I’ll give you this task: take some reaction time to consider what “stroop” sounds like it might mean, to you.
Okay? Ready?
Here are my photos:
No matter what you think stroop might mean, one of those photos does demonstrate stroop. Here’s my second set of words about that: something shown above inspired this entire stroop post.
Would you like to take a guess, before the big stroop reveal?
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Whatever stroop set of words you leave in a comment, I hope my reaction time is quick enough.
Thanks to waffles and Wikipedia, to the Stroop effect, to everything else that helped me blog today, and to you — of course! — no matter what your stroopy reactions are to this Stroop post.
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 
I know stroop from psych. The Stroop Effect, how the brain processes things like colors, more easily after the second image. But I looked at the waffles twice. And now I want them more.
Actually, those stroop waffles were in the cookie section. Do you still want them, Cindy?
I am in the bewildered state reading what stoop is about… I hope my non-stoop coffee cures that soon 🙂
I sometimes stoop to bewildering people, even though I value clear communication! I hope the coffee helped. ❤
Stroop = variant of the dialect word stroup, meaning throat, gullet or windpipe; or spout of a kettle. I assure you this is no waffle 🙂
In all the times I’ve perceived you, Derrick, I’ve never noticed you waffling. Thanks for the stroop definition.
I used to sit out on the Stroop in Brooklyn when I was a little kid, Ann. Meryl Stroop is one of my favorite actresses. Cher sang a song where people danced and shouted Stroop Stroop! Uh-oh. I think my language is suffering from the Stroop Effect this morning! I need to eat some waffles to fortify my brain.
Great associations, Mark! Your language never suffers, no matter what you’re eating or what today’s Stroop effect is.
Fun, Ann! I was sure the Stroop effect was the ferret “Goodbye Odor” with the word “odor” in green with the freshness-associated leafy green flourish below, because I recall Stroop tests were cards with a color conflicting with a word, as with the word “red” written in green letters, to see if you would say “red” or say “green”. “Odor” should have been written in brown! Always enjoy your posts!
Fun comment, Sunny! The Stroop effect affects me whenever I visit the website Lumosity — there’s one test there that uses color in the way you describe.
Whenever I learn a new word I immediately go to the Oxford English Dictionary but I was surprised that “stroop” wasn’t there. The closest entry was the obsolete word “stropp” that means “throat”. It’s from the Dutch and given their fondness for pastries I assume stroop pancakes are also a Dutch invention. Dr. Stroop was also Dutch.
Having taken the Stroop test myself I thought it was going to be the fish. Like the elements of a Stroop test they’re multi-colored. That made them a perfect distraction.
Love this comment from you, Chris, which is bolder than usual (which distracted me only a little).
Here’s what the stroop test is like:
Thank you, Maria! ❤
I’m a master at the Stroop Effect, as this fellow sitting next to me knows!
Grumpy, you know very well animals don’t count for the Stroop test!
Your takes on the Stroop Effect count here!
Thanks Ann, at least someone understands what I’m trying to say!
And doesn’t that lower the Grumpy Effect?
By golly, Grumpy ate all the fish! Forget it Ann, she’s sleeping now due to the Stroop Effect!
The stroop waffles…does that mean they are really pancakes ? So confused. ☺
Actually, they’re cookies. Enjoy the confusion, Van. I try to do that, every day!
Sock monkey calendar stroop?
One person’s stroop is another person’s sock monkey.
Ha! I’m still confused as to what stroop means Ann. So I will make something up. It seems to be a combination of the words stoop and troop, you know like the Brangelina effect? So it means, get the troop to the stoop or muster point. haha! ❤
Diana xo
I am mustering up admiration for your creative definition of stroop, Diana! ❤ ❤ xxoo
my favorite
too sweet
yummy
dutch
treat 🙂
my favorite
just right
yummy
comment
from you!
You’ve got me stroop-i-fied!
Thank you for this stroopilicious comment, Jan!
Aha! Stroop is totally familiar to me. I used these tests (created in 1939, if memory serves) all through my undergraduate degree and later in my PhD research. The Stroop effect is a powerful demonstration of our attention limits. Faced with the word BLUE (in a shade of red) and asked to name the shade (and not read the word), we are slower and make more errors than if we are sued to name the shade and the word is, say, BARN. Waffles??
Many things are powerful demonstrations of our attention limits. Thanks for your memories about the Stroop effect, Hilary. And while I’d like to reply, “Yes, waffles!” … those are actually cookies.
The dark patch on the blinds looks in the photo as if it could be the shadow of the pendant lamp, but it is the shadow of a coffee cup painted on the glass?
There are two photos that include the painted coffee cup on the window and the pendant lamp inside. Which photo are you asking about? One includes the shadow of the lamp and one does not.
Never heard to the word stroop, just saying
That’s something we could have said together, Joanne, the day before yesterday.
I was going to guess the caramel wafer waffles … Because they are Dutch and when placed in top of a hot drink the caramel melts into it!! Didn’t know they were called stroop! They are as yummy as your post Ann!
Thank you for the yummy compliment and the rest of this delicious comment, Val!
Excellent post — actually fascinating. And I love stroop waffles.
I love that you followed and commented!
When I decide to follow someone I try to leave a comment. You hooked me with the ‘Stroop’ post.
Thanks, Rob.
If stroop is a waffle, did you buy one? Taste one? Did it taste like stroop?
I neither bought it nor tasted it, Claudia, so I cannot attest to its stroopness. Thank you for this tasty comment.
Very interesting. It takes real concentration not to focus on the word, but to focus on the color of the word. What does this accomplish, I wonder to myself. Of course if the actual words were in a different language other than one’s native language it would be much easier to do.
Have a clearly colorful day Ann!!!!
I guess I was distracted by the Stroop effect and other things back in December, SD. I apologize for taking so long to respond to your colorful and focused comment.
Thanks for finding my little random comment Ann. You are so fastidious in your blogging.
Reblogged this on PenneyVanderbilt.
Thanks for the stroopy re-blog!