Stroop interference has been eliminated in button-press tasks when a single element in a stimulus was coloured, and thus the automaticity of semantic activation has been questioned. The current study investigated the effect of whole and single coloured stimuli, response modality and visual field on Stroop interference. Results indicated that processing whole and single coloured stimuli involved the same mechanisms, and colouring a single element in a Stroop stimulus slowed colour processing without reducing semantic activation. The effect of stimulus colouration on Stroop interference differed between button-press and naming tasks, and between bilateral and unilateral presentation.