Adult age differences in the Color Stroop Test: a comparison between an Item-by-item and a Blocked version.

The Color Stroop Test is consensually considered as a task to assess the efficiency of inhibitory mechanisms. If the Stroop interference effect is largely undisputed, it is also acknowledged that the size of this effect varies as a function of various task manipulations, such as the task format. The aim of the present study was to compare the size of adult age-related differences in inhibition as assessed by two different versions of the Color Stroop Test: a standard Blocked paper-and-pencil version and a computerized Item-by-item one. Results showed pronounced age-related differences in the interference effect in the Blocked version, but not in the Item-by-item one. These findings are discussed in terms of the characteristics of the tasks. The choice of the appropriate version with respect to clinical aims is also addressed. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.