Robert Sternberg

Professor

Summary

Robert J. Sternberg is Professor of Psychology in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University. He was previously President and Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Wyoming. Before that, he was Provost, Senior Vice President, Regents Professor of Psychology and Education, and George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair of Ethical Leadership at Oklahoma State University. He also is Honorary Professor of Psychology at Heidelberg University.

He was previously Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Psychology and Education at Tufts University, and before that, IBM Professor of Psychology and Education, Professor of Management, and Director of the Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise at Yale University. He is a Past President of the American Psychological Association, the Eastern Psychological Association, Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology, as well as Treasurer of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. He has been Editor of Perspectives on Psychological Science, Psychological Bulletin, and The APA Review of Books: Contemporary Psychlogy. He holds 13 honorary doctorates and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education.

His awards include:
Florence L. Denmark Award for Significant Contributions to Psychology, Psychology Department, Pace University, 2019; Grawemeyer Award in Psychology, 2018; William James Fellow Award, Association for Psychological Science, 2017; Ernest R. Hilgard Award for Lifetime Contributions to General Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division of General Psychology (1), 2017; Distinguished Service Award, International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology, 2011; Presidential Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to the Public Understanding of Psychology, American Psychological Association Division of Media Psychology (46), 2008; Sir Francis Galton Award, International Association of Empirical Aesthetics, 2008; E. Paul Torrance Award, National Association for Gifted Children, 2006; Interamerican Psychologist Award, Interamerican Society of Psychology, 2005; Arnheim Award, Division of Psychology and the Arts (10) of the American Psychological Association, 2005; Anton Jurovsky Award, Slovak Psychological Society, 2004; Arthur W. Staats Award, American Psychological Foundation and the Society for General Psychology (American Psychological Association Division 1), 2003; Farnsworth Award, Division of Psychology and the Arts (10) of the American Psychological Association, 2003; E. L. Thorndike Career Achievement Award, Division of Educational Psychology (15) of the American Psychological Association, 2003; Positive Psychology Network Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award, 2002; Outstanding Academic Title, CHOICE (American Library Association) for International handbook of giftedness and talent, co-editor, 2001; Distinguished Lifetime Contribution to Psychology Award, Connecticut Psychological Association, 1999; Palmer O. Johnson Award, American Educational Research Association, 1999; James McKeen Cattell Award, Association for Psychological Science, 1999; Distinción of Honor SEK, Institución Educativa SEK, Madrid, 1997; Sylvia Scribner Award, American Educational Research Association (Division C), 1996; International Award, Association of Portuguese Psychologists, 1991; Award for Excellence, Mensa Education and Research Foundation (MERF), 1989; Citation Classic Designation, Institute for Scientific Information for Intelligence, information processing, and analogical reasoning: The componential analysis of human abilities, 1987; Outstanding Book Award, American Educational Research Association for Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of human intelligence, 1987; Research Review Award, American Educational Research Association (co-recipient), 1986; Distinguished Scholar Award, the National Association for Gifted Children, 1985; Cattell Award, Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology, 1982; Boyd R. McCandless Young Scientist Award, Division of Developmental Psychology (7) of the American Psychological Association, 1982; Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology, American Psychological Association, 1981; Sidney Siegel Memorial Award, Stanford University, 1975; Wohlenberg Prize, Berkeley College, Yale University, 1972.

He is a member of the National Academy of Education and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also is a member of the Society of Experimental Psychologists.

Sternberg's Google h index is 220, his i-10 index 1153, and his total citations are 207,426

He has been listed as one of the “The 50 Most Influential Living Psychologists” by The Best Schools, 2018, https://thebestschools.org/features/most-influential-psychologists-world/; listed as one of the “Top 33 Psychologists for Psychology Textbook Citations”, Griggs & Christopher, Teaching of Psychology, 2016, 43(2), p. 114 (ranked #5); listed as one of the “Top 100 Psychologists of the 20th Century,” APA Monitor, July/August 2002, p. 29 (ranked #60); listed as one of the 200 most eminent psychologists of the modern (Post World-War II) era by Diener, Oishi, Park survey in Archives of Scientific Psychology (ranked #61); ISI Highly Cited List in Psychology/Psychiatry (2003–) (based on scientific citations 1981–1999); Listed in the Esquire Register recognizing the achievements of outstanding American men and women under 40, 1986; Listed as one of the 100 “Top Young Scientists in the U.S.,” Science Digest, 1984.

Research Focus

My main research interests are in intelligence, creativity, wisdom, thinking styles, leadership, love, jealousy, envy, and hate. I have taught courses in most of these areas, as well as in cognitive psychology, educational psychology, introductory psychology, lifespan development, adolescence, and professional socialization.

Many of my current collaborative research projects with my colleagues are on adaptive intelligence—how we use our creative, analytical, practical, and wisdom-based skills in order to make the world a better place. We have devised measures for measuring adaptive intelligence and also are interested in teaching for it. Additionally, we are doing work on transformational giftedness—how people can use their gifts to transform the world in a positive way, rather than using those gifts transactionally, merely for the benefit of themselves and members of their perceived “tribe.”

I am the author of over 1,800 publications and, as a principal investigator, have received more than $20 million in grant funding. I have won more than two dozen awards for my work.

Publications

2020 Publications

Ellis, B. J., Abrams, L. S., Masten, A. S., Sternberg, R. J., Tottenham, N., & Frankenhuis, W. E. (2020). Hidden talents in harsh environments. Development and Psychopathology, 1-19, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579420000887

Flynn, J. R., & Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Environmental effects on intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Human intelligence: An introduction (pp. 253-278). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Halpern, D. F., & Sternberg, R. J. (2020). An introduction to critical thinking: It will change your life. In R. J. Sternberg & D. F. Halpern (Eds.), Critical thinking in psychology (2nd ed., pp. 1-9). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sorokowski, P., Sorokowska, A., Karwowski, M., Groyecka, A., Aavik, T., …Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Universality of the triangular theory of love: Adaptation and psychometric properties of the Triangular Love Scale in 25 countries. Journal of Sex Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1787318

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Approaches to understanding human intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Human intelligence: An introduction (pp. 22-46). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). The augmented theory of successful intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Cambridge handbook of intelligence (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 679-708). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.) (2020). Cambridge handbook of intelligence (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Componential models of creativity. In M. A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity (3rd ed., pp. 180-187). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). The concept of intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Cambridge handbook of intelligence (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 3-17). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020, August 31). COVID-19 has taught us what intelligence really is. Inside higher ed, https://insidehighered.com/views/2020/08/31/pandemic-has-proven-standardized-tests-dont-measure-whats-important-opinion

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Critical thinking in STEM disciplines. In R. J. Sternberg & D. F. Halpern (Eds.), Critical thinking in psychology (2nd ed., pp. 309-327). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Cultural approaches to intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Human intelligence: An introduction (pp. 174-201). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Culture and intelligence. In Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Psychology. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.585

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Early history of theory and research on intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Human intelligence: An introduction (pp. 47-64). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Evolution of a research program on creativity. In M. Stierand & V. Doerfler (Eds.), Handbook of research methods on creativity (pp. 10-26). Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). FLOTSAM: A theory of the development and transmission of hate. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Perspectives on hate: How it originates, develops, manifests, and spreads (pp. 3-24). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). FLOTSAM in practice: Understanding the reawakening of hate in the modern world. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Perspectives on hate: How it originates, develops, manifests, and spreads (pp. 161-175). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). FLOTSAM themes in this book and The Butter Battle Book. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Perspectives on hate: How it originates, develops, manifests, and spreads (pp. 301-314). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). How mighty are the mitochondria in causing individual differences in intelligence? Some questions for David Geary. Journal of Intelligence, 8(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence8010013

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Human intelligence: The history of theory, research, and measurement: Part I: Pre-twentieth century philosophical origins. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Cambridge handbook of intelligence (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 18-30). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Human intelligence: The history of theory, research, and measurement: Part II: Psychological theory, research, and practice in the 19th and 20th centuries. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Cambridge handbook of intelligence (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 31-46). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.) (2020). Human intelligence: An introduction. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Introduction: How I learned from mistakes. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), My biggest research mistake (pp. 1-3). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020, July 28). It’s time to stem malpractice in STEM admissions. Inside Higher Ed, https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/07/28/colleges-shouldnt-use-standardized-admissions-tests-alone-measure-scientific

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Kinds of research mistakes. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), My biggest research mistake (pp. 222-229). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). The missing links: Comments on “The Science of Wisdom in a Polarized World.” Psychological Inquiry, 31(2), 153-159. doi/full/10.1080/1047840X.2020.1750922.

Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.) (2020). My biggest research mistake. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). The nature of intelligence and its development in childhood. New York: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108866217

Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.) (2020). Perspectives on hate: How it originates, develops, manifests, and spreads. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Preface. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), My biggest research mistake (pp. xi-xiii). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Preface. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Perspectives on hate: How it originates, develops, manifests, and spreads. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Postscript: Social intelligence as the social construction of reality: An augmented agenda for social-intelligence research. In R. J. Sternberg & A. Kostic (Eds.),

Social intelligence: The adaptive advantages of nonverbal communication (pp. 427-433). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Rethinking what we mean by intelligence. Kappan, 102(3), pp. 36-41. https://kappanonline.org/rethinking-what-we-mean-by-intelligence-sternberg/

Sternberg, R. (2020). “Social policy and intelligence” Redux: A tribute to Edward Zigler. Development and Psychopathology, 1-11. doi:10.1017/S0954579420000693

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Speculations on the future of intelligence research. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Cambridge handbook of intelligence (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 1203-1214). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Systems approaches to intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Human intelligence: An introduction (pp. 202-224). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Toward a theory of musical intelligence. Psychology of Music, https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735620963765

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Transformational giftedness. In T. L. Cross & P. Olszewski-Kubilius (Eds.), Conceptual frameworks for giftedness and talent development (pp. 203-234). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Transformational giftedness: Rethinking our paradigm for gifted education. Roeper Review, 42(4), 230-240. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2020.1815266

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Toward a triangular theory of love for one’s musical instruments. Psychology of Music, https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735620961143

Sternberg, R. J. (2020, November 19). Was your idea too creative? Inside Higher Ed, https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/11/19/how-avoid-having-your-ideas-rejected-being-too-creative-opinion

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). What does “meaning” mean? A commentary on Baumeister and von Hippel. Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture, 4(1), pp. 51-53. www.jstor.org/stable/10.26613/esic.4.1.167.

Sternberg, R. J. (2020). What is intelligence and what are the big questions about it? In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Human intelligence: An introduction (pp. 3-21). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J., & Halpern, D. F. (2020). Conclusion: How to think critically about politics...and anything else. In R. J. Sternberg & D. F. Halpern (Eds.), Critical thinking in psychology (2nd ed., pp. 354-376). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J., & Halpern, D. F. (Eds.) (2020). Critical thinking in psychology (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J., & Halpern, D. F. (2020). Preface. In R. J. Sternberg & D. F. Halpern (Eds.), Critical thinking in psychology. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sternberg, R. J., & Kaufman, J. C. (2020). Intelligence. In M. A. Runco & S. R. Pritzker (Eds.), Encyclopedia of creativity (3rd ed., pp. 667-671). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier.

Sternberg, R. J., & Kostic, A. (2020). Preface. In R. J. Sternberg & A. Kostic (Eds.), Social intelligence: The adaptive advantages of nonverbal communication. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Sternberg, R. J., & Kostic, A. (Eds.) (2020). Social intelligence: The adaptive advantages of nonverbal communication. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Sternberg, R. J., & Lebuda, I. (2020). Creativity tempered by wisdom: Interview with Robert J. Sternberg. Creativity: Theories-Research-Applications, 6(2), https://doi.org/10.1515/ctra-2019-0017

Sternberg, R. J., & Li, A. S. (2020). Social intelligence: What it is and why we need it more than ever before. In R. J. Sternberg & A. Kostic, Social intelligence: The adaptive advantages of nonverbal communication (pp. 427-433). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Sternberg, R. J., Todhunter, R. J. E., Litvak, A., & Sternberg, R. J. (2020). The relation of scientific creativity and evaluation of scientific impact to scientific reasoning and general intelligence. Journal of Intelligence, https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence8020017

Sternberg, R. J., & Witkowski, T. (2020). Robert J. Sternberg: Intelligence, love, creativity and wisdom [Interview]. In T. Witkowski (Ed.), Shaping psychology: Perspectives on legacy, controversy and the future of the field (pp. 79-100). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave-Macmillan.

Zhang, L.-F., & Sternberg, R. J. (2020). Intellectual styles. In Oxford research encyclopedia of education. New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.883

Robert Sternberg

Professor

Departments and programs

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Summary

Research Focus

Publications

Courses - Spring 2023

Courses - Spring 2023