About

Robert J. Sternberg is Professor of Human Development at Cornell University. He is also the editor of Perspectives on Psychological Sciences. He is a world-renowned psychologist whose research includes topics such as intelligence, creativity, wisdom, leadership, ethical reasoning, thinking styles, love and hate.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Gender studies
• Ecology
• Cognitive science
• Engineering
• Philosophy
• Management science
• Mathematics education
• Social psychology
• Pedagogy
• Aesthetics
• Epistemology

Selected publications

• “I always check if the bassoon is OK . . . it’s the last thing I do before sleep”: A phenomenological approach to the musician–instrument relationship and self-identity of professional classical musicians

  Musicae Scientiae · 2026-03-22

  articleSenior author

  As the result of the musician’s repeated experiences of feeling merged with their instrument, it disappears from their consciousness, like an unnoticed body part. This research investigated the phenomenon of merging with the instrument among professional classical musicians, aiming to understand how these musicians experience their relationship with their instrument, including the relationship’s impact on their self-identity. Six musicians took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore participants’ lived embodied experiences. Four themes emerged from the data: Intertwined identity, Personifying and nurturing the instrument, Monogamous relationship, and Transcending intimacy. In conclusion, musicians’ self-identity relies heavily on their instruments, which they often humanize. Their embodied relationships are characterized by experiences ranging from out-of-body states when playing the instrument, to mistakes in performance, and responses to the endangerment of the instrument.

  PublisherDOI

• Psychometric Evaluation of Aurora- a :An Augmented Assessment ofAnalytical, Practical, and CreativeAbilities in Middle Childhood andEarly Adolescence

  Merrill-Palmer Quarterly · 2025-03-01

  article

  The Theory of Successful Intelligence defines intelligence as the integrated set of abilities and competencies in specific domains needed to attain success in life. Informed by this theory, we examined the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of an augmented intelligence test, Aurora- a , a 17-subtest assessment of analytical, practical, and creative abilities and figural, numerical, and verbal competencies in middle childhood and early adolescence. Using data from 3470 students (1808, or 52.1%, identified as male) from the United Kingdom and the United States, we found support for the unidimensionality and adequate reliability of the 17 subtests. An exploratory structural equation model outperformed confirmatory factor analysis on goodness-of-fit, theory alignment, model parsimony, and interpretability, illustrating the multifaceted nature of items assessing analytical, practical, and creative abilities. Weak to strong correlations (ranging r = .20 to .72) with criterion assessments of academic performance corroborated the validity of Aurora- a .

  PublisherDOI

• A WICS-based model for women’s leadership

  Frontiers in Psychology · 2025-08-11

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  Men have typically dominated in leadership positions for what we have of recorded history; hence, leadership has been a concept whose study has revolved mostly around men. Nowadays, however, more and more women are emerging in the political field (as well as in other fields), taking up significant political and other roles, including leading political parties and countries. Women and men often differ in their leadership styles. Both men and women have, on average, variegated patterns of strengths and weaknesses. This article examines characteristics of successful women leaders. The article discusses and analyzes these characteristics, using as a theoretical framework the Wisdom-Intelligence-Creativity-Synthesized (WICS) model of leadership. Present and recent leaders like Jacinda Ardern, Sanna Marin, Ursula von der Leyen, and more, will be discussed in relation to the proposed characteristics. The proposed characteristics include, among others, the three C's of consideration, caring, and compassion; humility; unity; diplomacy; and resilience to the misogynistic critiques they often receive. Of course, it is of great significance to mention that no leader is perfect, and like all leaders, the aforementioned ones did some things in their leadership positions that worked and other things that did not.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Why Critical Thinking Can and Often Does Fail Us in Solving Serious Real-World Problems: A Three-Track Model of Critical Thinking

  Journal of Intelligence · 2025-06-23 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This article deals with how love and hatred of ideas can influence, and often distort or suppress, critical thinking. Love and hate can serve adaptive intellectual functions, but in practice, they often manifest in maladaptive ways. The article reviews the role of critical thinking in adaptation, then discusses how love and hate can influence critical thinking. The article suggests that teaching critical thinking needs to take into account that real-world critical thinking often bears little resemblance to that shown in tests or in school. We need to teach critical thinking as it exists in the world, not in rarefied settings.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• When We Love (or Hate) Ideas Too Much: Love (or Hate) of Ideas as Impediments to Critical Thinking

  2025-01-01 · 3 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Contributors

  Elsevier eBooks · 2025-11-21

  book-chapterOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Scientific Impact and Its Role in Scientific Reasoning

  Journal of Intelligence · 2025-10-09 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  We tested 75 participants in a selective university near the East Coast of the United States for their skills in scientific reasoning. We used scientific reasoning assessments for Generating Hypotheses, Generating Experiments, and Drawing Conclusions. To measure scientific reasoning skills, we also used a task involving analyzing scientific impact based on titles of published studies (which were either highly cited or scarcely cited), and another task involving creating what participants believed might be high-impact scientific studies in three subject matter areas. Participants further completed two fluid intelligence tests: Number Series and Letter Sets. They also filled in demographic information, including self-reported SAT/ACT scores and college GPA. (We cannot obtain actual grades at our university because of student-confidentiality issues.) We found that the scientific reasoning tests for Generating Hypotheses, Generating Experiments, and Drawing Conclusions clustered into a single factor, and the task for creating high-impact studies was also factored with these scientific reasoning tests. The two fluid ability tests-Number Series and Letter Sets-clustered into a distinct single factor. The task of analyzing impact seemed to be in between the other tasks, showing characteristics of not only the scientific reasoning tasks but also of the fluid intelligence tasks.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• <scp>PTSI</scp>: A Person × Task × Situation Interaction Theory of Creativity

  The Journal of Creative Behavior · 2025-03-20 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  ABSTRACT This article presents the PTSI (Person × Task × Situation Interaction) theory of creativity. The theory deals with the creative person, the deployment of creativity in tasks, the ecological context in which this deployment takes place, and the types of creative products that result. The theory draws upon a wide range of previous work. The article opens with an introduction to some major issues. Then it moves on to a review of past theoretical frameworks for understanding creativity. Next, it reviews various theories and models of creativity. Finally, it presents the PTSI theory. The attributes of the person system are personality, thinking styles, attitudes, cognitive processes, and knowledge. The task system represents the extent to which different aspects of a task encourage or discourage creative work. The situational context involves different hierarchically embedded levels of ecological context. The interaction between person, task, and situation produces different deployments of creativity and different types of creative contributions. After the theory is described, its motivation and then some of its strengths and weaknesses are considered, and future research is suggested to test the PTSI theory. The theory offers a somewhat more comprehensive view of creativity than many theories in the past have.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Postscript: Three Final Tips for Encouraging Young People (and Older Ones Too) to Think Critically

  2025-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• In an Upside-Down World, Is the Gifted Person the One Who Stands Out Upside-Down or Right-Side Up? The Role of Transcendent Giftedness

  Gifted Education International · 2025-11-25

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This article describes a new construct of transcendent giftedness, which is a high form of character. Transcendent giftedness is not genetic; it is a choice, one that few people make because of pressures to be otherwise. Transcendent giftedness comprises wisdom, moral intelligence, a transcendent sense of purpose and meaning in life, and courage. The article reviews each element and makes some suggestions for developing one’s gifts to allow them to transcend the pressures of everyday life that can result in gifts being used for nonoptimal purposes.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Elena L. Grigorenko

  Yale University

  182 shared

• Karin Sternberg

  Cornell University

  94 shared

• James C. Kaufman

  University of Connecticut

  67 shared

• Linda Jarvin

  52 shared

• Judith Glück

  University of Klagenfurt

  30 shared

• Elena L. Grigorenko

  29 shared

• Sareh Karami

  Mississippi State University

  26 shared

• Todd Lubart

  Laboratoire de Psychologie et d’Ergonomie Appliquées

  25 shared

Education

• B.A., Psychology

  Yale University

  1971

• M.A., Psychology

  Yale University

  1972

• Ph.D., Psychology

  Yale University

  1975