Color Smash

 

Color Smash and the Stroop Effect

There has been a lot of research done on the Stroop effect, and it makes for pretty interesting reading. As you work your way through the scholarly articles you will encounter things such as response inhibition, behavioral impulsivity, cognitive flexibility, inhibiting cognitive interference, executive functioning, and cognitive processing speed. Sounds pretty heavy for a game, right? Color Smash is based on the Stroop Color and Word Test used to establish the Stroop effect. But don't worry, Color Smash is just for fun, and nothing that is revealed during the game will be used against you (I hope;).

Color Smash consists of 72 round cards in a paint-can tin. As you can see from the image above, cards will have color splashes on them. This is how the cards break down:

• Cards with only one color, in one or two different shades
• Cards with only one color, in one or two different shades, and a color word that is the same as the color splash on the card. Example: a red splash with the word RED printed on the card in red.
  
• Cards with only one color, in one or two different shades, and a color word  that is different from the color splash printed on the card. Example: a red slash with the word BLUE printed on the card in red.
  
• Multi-color cards. These are steal cards and there are only two of these.

Here are examples:

Object:

There are two ways to play:

• Be the person with the most cards at the end of the game.
• Play until one person has all the cards.
  

Set up:

Shuffle the cards and deal them evenly, face-down, to all players.

Play:

Players take turns. Turn your top card over, without looking at it, and place it in the middle of the table, forming a pile. At this point everyone can see it. Next:

• If there is a color splash and no printed word, do nothing. The next person plays.
• If there is a color splash and that color is also printed as a word (blue splash with the word BLUE printed), the first person to hit the pile takes all the cards in the pile. Next player starts a new pile.
• If there is a color splash and a different color is printed as a word (blue splash with word YELLOW printed), do nothing.
• If a multi-color card is played, be the first to slap the pile. Steal five cards from any one of your opponents (the one who looks like they are on track to win would probably be the best choice).

Any time you slap the pile and you are wrong, take five of the cards you have collected and place them at the bottom of the pile in the middle of the table. Play until you have played through all 72 cards OR, if you are playing until someone wins all the cards, as each player runs out of cards he drops out of the game until there is only one person left. Congratulate the winner.

Winner:

• Play through the pile and the person with the most cards wins the game.
• OR
  
• Keep playing until only one person has all the cards and wins the game.
  

Try this:

• Let everybody look over the cards so they understand the game before playing.
• Run through a practice game so everyone can get used to the game before competing.
• Work on hand skills by practicing shuffling and dealing the cards.
• Deal the cards by holding the deck in your non-dominant hand and pushing them off the top, one at a time, with your thumb. Pick the card up with the dominant hand to pass it to the individual.
• Work on manual dexterity, coordinated use of both hands, holding/shuffling/dealing cards, process skills, socialization skills, play and leisure exploration and participation, response inhibition, cognitive flexibility, inhibiting cognitive interference, executive functioning skills, and cognitive processing speed (you knew I was going to have to say that.)   

In the tin: 72 cards