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Volume 22 Issue 2 (2026)

Working Memory-the Stroop Effect Interactions: A Review of Basic and Clinical ERP Research
pp. 97-114
First published on 8 April 2026 | DOI:10.5709/acp-0491-4
MengYu Duan, ZhuoRui Liu, Li Sui
Corresponding author:

Li Sui, PhD, School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jun Gong Road, Shanghai 200093, P. R. China.

Email: lsui@usst.edu.cn

APA
Duan, M., Liu, Z., & Sui, L. (2026). Working memory-the Stroop effect interactions: A review of basic and clinical ERP research. Advances in Cognitive Psychology, 22(2), 97-114. https://doi.org/10.5709/acp-0491-4
Abstract

The Stroop task is a classic paradigm for assessing cognitive conflict and control, and the resulting Stroop effect has been widely used as an index of interference and control efficiency. Working memory (WM) plays a pivotal regulatory role in higher-order cognition, including attentional modulation, conflict inhibition, goal maintenance, and executive functioning. Within the Stroop paradigm, performance is shaped not only by externally induced stimulus conflict but also by internally generated interference arising from information maintained in WM, thereby increasing task complexity. The interaction between WM and the Stroop effect is a central focus in basic neuroscience and psychology. Clinical evidence indicates that individuals with various neurological and psychiatric disorders exhibit altered performance on tasks combining WM and Stroop demands, particularly in key event-related potential (ERP) components such as the N450 and P3. Dynamic alterations in these components have emerged as informative biomarkers for delineating pathological mechanisms of impaired cognitive resource allocation, conflict monitoring, and executive control in neuropsychiatric populations. Addressing the current lack of comprehensive and critical synthesis, this article presents a narrative review evaluating neural mechanisms, characteristic ERP signatures, and recent advances in applying WM–Stroop paradigms across diverse clinical groups. Beyond summarizing extant findings, the review develops a stage-specific account of how WM load and WM contents modulate conflict-related ERP components across different populations, and offers a critical appraisal of major methodological limitations, including paradigm heterogeneity, sample variability, and constraints on generalizability. The article concludes by outlining future directions and emerging trends to inform theory development and guide empirical research.

Keywords: event-related potentials, working memory, Stroop effect, N450, P3

Zadania finansowane w ramach umowy 801/P-DUN/2018 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę: Finansowanie zagranicznych redaktorów naczelnych; Przygotowanie i edycja anglojęzycznych publikacji; Upowszechnianie publikacji i ułatwianie dostępu do nich szerokiemu gronu odbiorców; Utworzenie nowej platformy do udostępniania artykułów. W latach 2022-2024 czasopismo naukowe Advances in Cognitive Psychology otrzymuje dofinansowanie w ramach programu Rozwój Czasopism Naukowych Ministerstwa Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego (nr rejestracyjny wniosku/umowy: RCN/SN/0494/2021/1; wartość dofinansowania przyznanego przez Ministerstwo: 45,954.00 PLN; całkowita wartość zadania: 91,908.00 PLN; data podpisania umowy o dofinansowanie zadania: 23.12.2022). Projekt ma na celu podniesienie standardów naukowych i wydawniczych czasopism naukowych oraz zwiększenie ich międzynarodowego wpływu i zasięgu. Dofinansowanie przyznane Advances in Cognitive Psychology przez Ministerstwo są przeznaczone na: (a) opłatę licencji/dostępu do pakietu oprogramowania redakcyjnego, w tym systemu antyplagiatowego, oraz rejestracji numerów DOI dla publikowanych artykułów; (b) wdrożenie współczesnych najlepszych praktyk wydawniczych na poziomie system oprogramowania redakcyjnego, w tym integracji numerów DOI, (c) opłatę licencji/dostępu do programu do składu artykułów oraz (d) promocję czasopisma online wśród potencjalnych autorów i czytelników.

Tasks financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education on the basis of the contract no. 801/P-DUN/2018 out of the funds designed for activities promoting science: Preparation and editing of English versions of articles. Financing foreign Editors-in-Chief, Dissemination of publications and increasing their accessibility to a broad range of readers, Creation of the XML conversion platform to improve the access to the articles (2018-2019). In 2022-2024, Advances in Cognitive Psychology receives financing from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland within the program Rozwój Czasopism Naukowych (application/contract no. RCN/SN/0494/2021/1; total value of the project: 91,908.00 PLN; funds granted directly by the Ministry: 45,954.00 PLN; date of signing the contract: 23.12.2022). The aim of the project is to improve the scientific and editorial standards of scientific journals as well as to increase their international impact and reach. The funds received as part of the program are used by Advances in Cognitive Psychology to (a) finance access to an editorial system software suite, including an anti-plagiarism tool, and to register DOI numbers for the published articles, (b) implement current best practices into the editorial workflow on the level of the editorial system suite, including the addition of ORCID numbers, (c) finance access to typesetting software, and (d) promote the journal among potential authors and readers online.