An updated Italian normative dataset for the Stroop color word test (SCWT)

Abstract

The Stroop color and word test (SCWT) is widely used to evaluate attention, information processing speed, selective attention, and cognitive flexibility. Normative values for the Italian population are available only for selected age groups, or for the short version of the test. The aim of this study was to provide updated normal values for the full version, balancing groups across gender, age decades, and education. Two kinds of indexes were derived from the performance of 192 normal subjects, divided by decade (from 20 to 90) and level of education (4 levels: 3-5; 6-8; 9-13; >13 years). They were (i) the correct answers achieved for each table in the first 30 s (word items, WI; color items, CI; color word items, CWI) and (ii) the total time required for reading the three tables (word time, WT; color time, CT; color word time, CWT). For each index, the regression model was evaluated using age, education, and gender as independent variables. The normative data were then computed following the equivalent scores method. In the regression model, age and education significantly influenced the performance in each of the 6 indexes, whereas gender had no significant effect. This study confirms the effect of age and education on the main indexes of the Stroop test and provides updated normative data for an Italian healthy population, well balanced across age, education, and gender. It will be useful to Italian researchers studying attentional functions in health and disease.

Stroop Color and Word Test

“…Only two of the five studies assessed and provided normative data for all the conditions of the SCWT (i.e., W, C, CW; Caffarra et al, 2002;Brugnolo et al, 2015), while others provide only partial results. Valgimigli et al (2010) provided normative data only for the C and CW condition, while Amato et al (2006) and Barbarotto et al (1998) administered all the SCWT conditions (i.e., W, C, CW) but provide normative data only for the CW condition, and the C and CW condition respectively.…”

“…An English translation of the title and abstract of Caffarra et al (2002) is available. Three of the studies consider the performance only on the SCWT (Caffarra et al, 2002;Valgimigli et al, 2010;Brugnolo et al, 2015) while the others also include other neuropsychological tests in the experimental assessment (Barbarotto et al, 1998;Amato et al, 2006). The studies are heterogeneous in that they differ in terms of administered conditions, scoring procedures, number of items, and colors used.…”

“…Additionally, they calculated an interference score derived by the original scoring method provided by Stroop (1935). Of the five studies (Barbarotto et al, 1998;Caffarra et al, 2002;Amato et al, 2006;Valgimigli et al, 2010;Brugnolo et al, 2015) that provide normative data for the Italian population, two are originally written in Italian (Caffarra et al, 2002;Valgimigli et al, 2010), while the others are written in English (Barbarotto et al, 1998;Amato et al, 2006;Brugnolo et al, 2015). An English translation of the title and abstract of Caffarra et al (2002) is available.…”

“…Some studies record the time needed, independently in each condition, to read all (Amato et al, 2006) or a fixed number (Valgimigli et al, 2010) of presented stimuli. Others consider the number of correct answers produced in a fixed time (30 s; Amato et al, 2006;Brugnolo et al, 2015). Caffarra et al (2002) and Valgimigli et al (2010) provide a more complex interference index that relates the subject's performance in the incongruous condition with the performance in the others.…”

“…The studies are heterogeneous in that they differ in terms of administered conditions, scoring procedures, number of items, and colors used. Three studies adopted a 100-items version of the SCWT (Amato et al, 2006;Valgimigli et al, 2010;Brugnolo et al, 2015) which is similar to the original version proposed by Stroop (1935). In this version, in every condition (i.e., W, C, CW), items are arranged in a matrix of 10 × 10 columns and rows; the colors are red, green, blue, brown, and purple.…”