Cited by 3,576Memory Processes and InfluencesCognitive Abilities and TestingNeurobiology of Language and Bilingualism

High-speed scanning in human memory

Sternberg, Saul·1966·Science

Abstract

When subjects judge whether a test symbol is contained in a short memorized sequence of symbols, their mean reaction-time increases linearly with the length of the sequence. The linearity and slope of the function imply the existence of an internal serial-comparison process whose average rate is between 25 and 30 symbols per second.

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Crossref · 10.1126/science.153.3736.652

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  • Mental processing time can be separated from motor response time, and it varies with the number of mental operations required by a given task.

    “Although PS paradigms often are based on motor reaction time, Sternberg’s (1966) elegant paradigm demonstrated that mental processing time can be separated from motor response time, and that it varies with the number of mental operations required by a given task.”

    From I. NIH TOOLBOX COGNITION BATTERY (CB): INTRODUCTION AND PEDIATRIC DATA (2013) · cites this paper as Sternberg, 1966

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Authors
Sternberg, S.
Affiliations
Bell Telephone Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey
Corresponding author
Sternberg, Saul
Venue
Science
Published
1966-08-05
Volume
153
Issue
3736
Pages
652-654
ISSN
  • 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
  • 1095-9203
OpenAlex
W2106654511
Cited by
3,576
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 50 · 2025: 54 · 2024: 67 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 110 · 2020: 90 · 2019: 97 · 2018: 102 · 2017: 84 · 2016: 105 · 2015: 104 · 2014: 106 · 2013: 118 · 2012: 96
FWCI
14.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Science (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
Keywords
serial scanning, short-term memory, reaction time, memory speed, symbolic sequences
MeSH terms
Humans, Memory, Reaction Time

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