The Use of Sternberg's Memory-Scanning Paradigm in Assessing Effects of Chemical Exposure

This study evaluated the utility of a binary classification task in assessing the neurotoxic effects of elemental mercury. Twenty-six mercury cell chlor-alkali workers were tested on two occasions. This reaction-time paradigm provided reliable, stage-specific measures of cognitive functioning. In the two stages studied, processing times were found to increase significantly with increasing levels of exposure to mercury. The stage-specific nature of the measures used permits the inference that mercury has a locus of effect in the central nervous system.