Cognitive Interference Effects of Colour-Word and Counting Stroop Task on the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) in Children and Adults

Abstract

Background: Auditory sensory gating refers to the brain’s ability to suppress irrelevant auditory information from further processing. Recent studies have explored the use of the counting Stroop task, performed concurrently with the auditory brainstem response (ABR) test, to assess sensory gating at the brainstem level. However, the classical colour-word Stroop task, which is known to elicit stronger cognitive interference, has not yet been examined in conjunction with ABR testing. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effects of cognitive interference induced by the colour-word and counting Stroop tasks on ABR outcomes. Methods: Seven children and eleven adults with normal hearing participated in this study. Each participant underwent ABR testing concurrently with both Stroop task types (colour-word and counting). For each task, two Stroop conditions (incongruent and neutral) were administered. Four measurement parameters (Stroop interference of percentage of correct responses and response time, and cognitive interference of ABR wave V amplitude and latency) were analysed using within-group comparisons to examine differences between the two types of Stroop task. Results: No statistically significant differences were observed in any measurement parameters between the two types of Stroop task for either age group. However, medium to large effect sizes were found among children in Stroop interference of response time and cognitive interference of wave V amplitude. Conclusion: Although no significant differences were identified, the colour-word Stroop task appeared to elicit slightly stronger cognitive interference in children, potentially reflecting greater inhibitory control demands. Clinically, these findings suggest that combining the colour-word Stroop task with ABR testing may provide a more sensitive approach for assessing inhibitory control of sensory gating at the brainstem level in children and for identifying those with atypical inhibitory control abilities.