What exactly does Stroop Effect mean? The term is based on the work of Dr. John Ridley Stroop that was published in his groundbreaking “Journal of Experimental Psychology” back in 1935 — still one of the most cited papers in the history of human beings visual/mental perception. Stroop discovered that when you see the printed word of a color (red, blue, green, yellow) — and the actual color of that word is different from its written meaning — something very surprising occurs when you are asked to say out loud not the word itself, but the color is printed in. Most people’s reactions are delayed because “experience has taught you that meaning is more important than color” so your first inclination is to simply read the words rather than say their actual colors. Stroup called this involuntary hesitation/reaction an “interference effect” which suggests that “you’re not always in control of what you pay attention to.” This basic principle is what inspired Charles and Jennifer Edwards to name their company Stroop effect Studios. They feel the name expresses their production intentions: To gain the attention of the television audience by “interfering” with a memorable commercial they’ve created — and have their clients name, image and message retained in a positive way, so that viewers turn into customers. “We want to make sure that every commercial Stroop produces embodies the emotional essence of the people behind each business, not just a reputation of their ‘stuff,’” Edwards said. “What we’re doing is actually creating 30- to 60-second small movies about them.”