Cultural Differences in Effect Sizes of the Color-Word Stroop Test: A Meta-Analytic Study.

This article focuses on a meta-analysis of cultural differences in the Color-Word Stroop test (CWST), a widely used measure of executive function and attention. Analyzing data from 737 samples across 399 studies, the meta-analysis found that reaction time (RT) effect sizes of the Stroop effect were significantly larger in Asian populations—particularly in the Middle East—compared to North America and Europe, suggesting greater difficulty in inhibiting irrelevant color-word information among Asian participants. However, no regional differences were observed in other behavioral measures such as accuracy or error rates. The study also found that these cultural differences were not explained by language writing systems or participant age and health status, and that publication bias was present but did not account for the observed effects. These findings highlight both cultural variability and universality in cognitive inhibition as measured by the CWST and underscore the importance of considering experimental procedures and behavioral measures when comparing Stroop effects across cultures.