Sentence interference in the Stroop task

In two experiments on Stroop interference, we examined whether sentences ca n be processed without the intention of the reader. Participants named the ink colors in which words in sentences were printed, and the ink colors in which the same words, randomly arranged, were printed. In Experiment 1, sen tences yielded longer response times (RTs) and more errors than did nonsent ences, but only when they included words that were highly relevant to the c olor-naming task (i.e., color and color-related words). In Experiment 2, se ntences yielded more errors than did nonsentences, and sentences in which t he color words matched the set of ink colors yielded longer RTs than did no nsentences. The results indicate that sentence processing can be obligatory when the component words are highly relevant to the task.