Robert Sternberg

Robert J. Sternberg, born on December 8, 1949, is an American psychologist and psychometrician. He works as a professor of Human Development at Cornell University and is also a distinguished associate of the Psychometrics Centre at the University of Cambridge.

Sternberg is well known for his important work in psychology. One of his biggest ideas is the triarchic theory of intelligence. He has also created theories about creativity, wisdom, how people think, love, hate, and leadership. Because of his influence, a survey in 2002 named him as one of the most cited psychologists of the 20th century, placing him as the 60th most influential in that field. His ideas have helped many people understand intelligence and human behavior better.

Early life

Robert Sternberg was born on December 8, 1949, in New Jersey to a Jewish family. As a child, he felt nervous during tests, which made it hard for him to show what he really knew. But when he took a test with younger students, he felt better and his scores got much higher. This experience helped him create his first intelligence test, called the Sternberg Test of Mental Ability (STOMA).

Career

Robert Sternberg studied at Yale University and later earned a PhD from Stanford University in 1975. He began his teaching career at Yale, where he worked for many years and held an important position.

In 2005, Sternberg moved to Tufts University and later held leadership roles at Oklahoma State University and the University of Wyoming. In 2013, he became the president of the University of Wyoming but resigned later that year. He then joined the Human Development faculty at Cornell University, where he continues to work today.

Phi Beta Kappa Human Development faculty of Cornell University

Honorary degrees and professorships

Robert Sternberg has received thirteen special honors called honorary doctorates from many universities around the world. Some of these universities are Complutense University of Madrid, Durham University, KU Leuven, Tilburg University, University of Cyprus, University of Paris V, and St. Petersburg State University. He also has an honorary professorship at the University of Heidelberg.

Publication ethics

Robert Sternberg became the editor of a journal called Perspectives on Psychological Science in 2015. During his time as editor, he published several of his own articles without proper review by other experts. This caused concern among many psychologists, who felt the articles were not fair or balanced. Because of this and some other issues, Sternberg decided to step down from his role as editor in 2018, earlier than planned. Some of his published work was later removed because of repeated material.

Awards and recognition

Robert Sternberg has received many awards for his work. He received the Cattell Award from the Association for Psychological Science and the Sir Francis Galton Award from the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics. He also received the E. L. Thorndike Award from the American Psychological Association and the Grawemeyer Award for Psychology in 2018.

Sternberg is considered one of the top psychologists of the twentieth century. He is a fellow of several important organizations and has served as president of the American Psychological Association and other groups.

Research interests

Robert Sternberg studies many important ideas, like how people think, be creative, and understand wisdom. He is especially known for his ideas about intelligence and love. He thinks intelligence isn’t just about scores on tests but includes creative and practical skills too.

Sternberg created ways to help schools see more than just test scores when choosing students. He also worked on important projects about understanding intelligence better, helping to explain what we truly know about how smart people are.

Triarchic theory of intelligence

Main article: Triarchic theory of intelligence

Many ideas about intelligence look at skills like vocabulary, comprehension, memory, and problem-solving that can be tested. But Robert Sternberg thinks this view is too narrow. He says it only shows one part of intelligence, mostly the kind of smarts needed for schoolwork.

Sternberg suggests intelligence has three parts. The first is analytical intelligence, which is good at solving problems with clear answers, like those on regular intelligence tests. The second is creative or synthetic intelligence, which helps people handle new and unusual situations using what they already know. The third is practical intelligence, which helps someone fit into everyday life by using their knowledge in real ways. Sternberg created a test to measure these three types of intelligence, not just the traditional one.

Theory in cognitive styles

Robert Sternberg created a theory about how people think in 1988. He believed that the way we organize and use our thinking is like the different parts of a government.

People use their thinking in different ways: some like to make new rules, some follow rules, and some like to check if rules are fair. Everyone has their own way of thinking, and these ways can change depending on what they are doing or their age. Some people like to focus on one thing at a time, while others can handle many things together. Some think about big ideas, while others focus on details. Some people prefer to work alone, and others like to work with others. Some enjoy change, while others prefer things to stay the same.

Bibliography (selection)

On human intelligence

Robert Sternberg has written many books and articles about how we understand and measure intelligence. Some of his important works include:

• Intelligence, information processing, and analogical reasoning: The componential analysis of human abilities (1977)
• Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of human intelligence (1985)
• Successful intelligence (1997)
• Wisdom, Intelligence, and Creativity Synthesized (2007)

On creativity and intellectual giftedness

Sternberg also studied creativity and how to support gifted students. Some of his books on these topics are:

• Defying the crowd: Cultivating creativity in a culture of conformity (1995)
• How to develop student creativity (1996)
• The creativity conundrum: A propulsion model of creative contributions (2002)

On leadership

He has also explored what makes good leadership, including:

• "The person versus the situation in leadership" (2002)

On cognitive styles

Sternberg looked at how people think differently, such as:

• "Mental self-government: A theory of intellectual styles and their development" (1988)

Other works, including edited volumes

He has contributed to many other books and collections, such as:

• The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence (2011)
• Scientists Making a Difference (2016)