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
Example Data
example-data.csv Primary
Trial-by-trial data for each probe judgment
| subNum | length | trial | set | stim | targetfoil | resp | corr | rt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 225 | 2 | 1 | RD | R | T | present | 1 | 804 |
| 225 | 2 | 2 | RD | Q | F | absent | 1 | 1728 |
| 225 | 2 | 3 | RD | D | T | present | 1 | 827 |
| 225 | 2 | 4 | RD | R | T | present | 1 | 627 |
| 225 | 2 | 5 | RD | D | T | present | 1 | 519 |
| 225 | 2 | 6 | RD | S | F | absent | 1 | 802 |
| 225 | 2 | 7 | RD | C | F | absent | 1 | 553 |
| 225 | 2 | 8 | RD | S | F | absent | 1 | 825 |
| 225 | 2 | 9 | RD | R | T | present | 1 | 576 |
example-report.txt Summary
Summary statistics: mean RT and accuracy for each set size, separated by target-present and target-absent trials
Tue Mar 31 18:26:14 2026 Participant: 225 2 Present 570 1 2 Absent 691 0.98 4 Present 802 0.9 4 Absent 819 1 6 Present 827 0.94 6 Absent 1031 0.92
Sample data showing typical output format. Actual values will vary by participant.
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