fMRI and TMS Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Response, Semantic and Task Conflict in the Stroop Task

The Stroop effect demonstrates that the identification of the colour a word is presented in is slowed down when the word spells out a different colour (i.e. it is incongruent; e.g. the word ‘RED’ presented in blue) compared to when the word spells out a word that is unrelated to colour (e.g. the word ’ TOP’ presented in red). It is a commonly used paradigm to measure selective attention (see MacLeod, 1991, for a review) and is thought to arise due to the need to inhibit the automatic action of reading a word and performing the less practiced action of colour naming (see Cattell, 1886; MacLeod & MacDonald, 2000; MacLeod, 2005; Posner & Snyder, 1975). It is one of the most commonly used paradigms in cognitive and clinical psychological research and therefore it is important to understand the cognitive and neural mechanisms underpinning the task. Since the idea was initially put forward by Klein (1964), there have been studies showing that the Stroop effect is made up of interference at multiple levels. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) assays have investigated the separable neural representations of response and semantic conflict using a paradigm that maps two responses to one response key. The have shown that separate neural regions underpin these types of conflict. However, recent work has criticized this manipulation as a method for indexing semantic conflict (Hasshim & Parris, 2014; 2015). An alternative method is to use response set membership to manipulate the response and semantic conflict present on any trial (Hasshim & Parris, 2017). In separate work it has been argued that Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex effects task level conflict (Vanderhasselt et al., 2006). The aim of the present project is to use both fMRI and TMS establish the role of the dorsolateral lateral prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in processing response, semantic and task conflict in this important cognitive and clinical task.

How to apply: Applications are made via our website using the Apply Online button below. If you have an enquiry about this project please contact us via the Email NOW button below, however your application will only be processed once you have submitted an application form as opposed to emailing your CV to us.

The MRes Fee Waive Scholarships are open to UK & EU candidates, who must demonstrate outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete an MRes in 12 months full-time.

The successful applicants must have a proven previous academic excellence (first class honours or equivalent). An IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum (or equivalent) is essential for candidates for whom English is not their first language.

In addition to satisfying the basic entry criteria, BU will look closely at the qualities, skills and background of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure successful completion.