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Sternberg Working Memory Task
The Sternberg working memory task experiment was conducted in the 1960’s by Saul Sternberg. Since then, it has become one of the ‘classic’ examples of the information-processing paradigm in cognitive psychology. This experiment is significant because it reveals the complex nature of conscious thought using objective measurements It explores important concepts such as working memory and short-term memory. The high level of accessibility of information stored in short-term memory was demonstrated in a classic set of studies conducted by Sternberg.

The classic Stenberg experiment starts with a presentation of a list of items that the subject memorizes and after a certain period of maintenance time, a ‘probe’ letter is given and the subject must determine whether this letter is in the list of items he/she memorized. It involves a simple technique to study mental processes, which have been used in countless studies ranging far beyond the original purpose that Sternberg, designed it for.

A variable number of items, such as digits (the memory set), were presented briefly to participants at the beginning of a trial and then removed for a minimal delay. Following the delay, a probe item appeared and participants were to indicate whether or not the probe matched an item in the memory set. The time required to respond should reflect the sum of four quantities: Sternberg hypothesized that as the number of items in the memory set increased, the second quantity, the total time required for access and comparison should increase linearly with each additional item, but the other three quantities should remain constant. Thus, Sternberg hypothesized that when the response time was plotted against the number of memory set items, the result would be a straight line on the graph. Moreover, the slope of that line should reveal the average time needed to access and compare an item held in short-term memory. As the number of items to be memorized and the memory set size increases from one to six, the time to evaluate a probe increases in a linear manner with about a 40-millisecond increase per additional item. Short-term memory is often linked with conscious thinking; it is also referred to as working memory, the part of the mind where thinking takes place. Although we have direct access to our own thoughts, it is difficult for cognitive psychologists to study thought processes because:
 * 1) The time required to process the probe item perceptually
 * 2) The time required to access and compare an item in short-term memory against the probe item
 * 3) The time required to make a binary response decision (match–non match)
 * 4) The time required to execute the necessary motor response
 * We cannot directly observe other people's thoughts
 * We cannot be sure that our own introspections are valid

Short-term mental storage and manipulation operations are collectively called working memory. It provides a temporary holding site so that relevant information is highly accessible and available for inspection and computation. When cognitive tasks are accomplished, the information can be easily erased, and the process can begin again with other information. A better understanding of the nature of human working memory may have important implications for understanding why people differ in cognitive skills and abilities and why individuals have different degrees of success in their efforts to accomplish goals. Research suggests that people vary widely in working memory capacity (also known as ‘’working memory span’’), the amount of information that can be held accessible and that these differences predict general intelligence as measured by:
 * Standard IQ tests
 * Verbal SAT scores
 * speed with which a skill such as computer programming is acquired