Sternberg task

noun

A task in psychology experiments where the subject is asked to memorize a list of items and then identify whether a particular item was present in the list, the subject's response time being recorded.

Meanings

nounSternberg task (plural Sternberg tasks)

plural Sternberg tasks

  1. A task in psychology experiments where the subject is asked to memorize a list of items and then identify whether a particular item was present in the list, the subject's response time being recorded.

Origin

Named after Saul Sternberg, a professor of psychology, who devised it.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Sternberg task. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sternberg%20task

MLA

“Sternberg task.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sternberg%20task. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sternberg task,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sternberg%20task.

Source: Sternberg task on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.