Sternberg Memory Scanning Task
Description
A memory scanning task in which participants memorize a set of letters and then judge whether probe letters were in the memorized set.
Measures: Memory scanning speed, short-term memory retrieval
Memory Processing Speed
About This Test
Participants memorize a short set of letters (set sizes of 2, 4, and 6 by default). They are then shown a series of individual probe letters and must respond whether each probe was present or absent from the memorized set. Response time increases linearly with set size, providing a measure of memory scanning speed.
Test Details
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Scientific Background
Original Task References:
These references describe the original task that this PEBL implementation is based on.
- Sternberg, S. (1966). High-speed scanning in human memory. Science, 153(3736), 652-654.
PEBL-Specific References:
These studies used the PEBL version of this task.
- Mueller, S. T. (2012). The PEBL Sternberg Scanning Task. Computer software retrieved from http://pebl.sf.net/battery.html
Data Output
The task produces a trial-by-trial CSV file and a text report with mean RT and accuracy by set size and target/foil condition.
sternberg-{subnum}.csv
About This Test
A memory scanning task in which participants memorize a set of letters and then judge whether probe letters were in the memorized set.
Category: Memory
Estimated Duration: 8 minutes
Available Translations: 7 languages
Documentation Status: Complete