peripheral task

USAGE SUMMARY

"peripheral task" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to refer to tasks or activities that are not the main focus of something. For example, "We are focusing on the core aspects of the project, but there are many peripheral tasks that need to be taken care of as well."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

This study showed that the detection performance in the peripheral task when attention was focused on the central task depended on the nature of the stimuli used: some discrimination tasks, even very complex, were left almost unaltered by the retrieval of attention, while other tasks, seemingly simple, were much impaired in the absence of attention.

Plosone

The peripheral task required the subject to respond with one of four arrow keys (up, down, left, right) in the direction of the critical stimulus (red octagon among other shapes).

Environmental Health Perspectives

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Winnowing out the peripheral tasks and homing in on the most important ones will help you gain control — and "once you feel you're in control, you're productive," Ms. Morgenstern said.

The New York Times

Eye movement data might test whether any participants adopted such a strategy, or to estimate more generally how often eye movements occurred between the central and peripheral tasks.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

An alternative explanation for the present results could be that even when redundant peripheral targets were themselves processed in parallel, attention shifted between the central and peripheral tasks in serial (Wickens & Gopher, 1977).

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

These results suggest the central tracking and peripheral detection tasks likely tapped common processing resources, presumably at the stages that Wickens (2002) labels perception or cognition; the target and distractor stimuli of Experiment 3 were in fact designed to be indiscriminable in ambient vision, ensuring competition for focal attention between the central and peripheral tasks.

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

In addition, the control system must respond fast, be accurate during transient events and present low computational burden to the GSC which must perform a lot of other peripheral tasks.

Electric Power Systems Research

Brain imaging studies using ERP or fMRI suggest a greater recruitment of attention-related brain networks under peripheral tasks in deaf as compared to hearing individuals [5] [9].

Plosone

Bold: Disciplines primarily undertaking therapy (treatment) which are the focus of this review; Core: Core activity/ies of the discipline; Peripheral: Peripheral tasks.

Health Research Policy and Systems

Similarly, accuracy on a peripheral discrimination task is higher when a concurrent central task is low in perceptual load than when it is high (Williams, 1985).

Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications

Performance in the peripheral discrimination task was compared when performed together with the central discrimination task and when performed alone.

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using the phrase "peripheral task", ensure it is clear which activity is the central or main task to provide context for the distinction.

Common error

Avoid dedicating excessive time or resources to a "peripheral task" at the expense of core responsibilities. Keep focus on the main goals and allocate effort accordingly.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "peripheral task" functions as a noun phrase, typically serving as a subject or object in a sentence. It identifies an action or activity that is secondary or supportive to a main effort, as confirmed by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

25%

Formal & Business

25%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "peripheral task" is a grammatically correct noun phrase used to describe a secondary or supportive action distinct from a primary goal. As Ludwig confirms, it's predominantly found in scientific and professional contexts, highlighting its usage in reports and project management where prioritizing activities is crucial. While semantically similar phrases like "minor assignment" or "supporting function" exist, understanding the specific context and maintaining a focus on core responsibilities when managing such tasks is key.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

less important task

Simplifies the phrasing to directly state the reduced significance of the task.

secondary activity

Replaces "task" with "activity" to broaden the scope from structured work to general actions.

minor assignment

Substitutes "peripheral" with "minor" and "task" with "assignment" to emphasize the reduced importance and workload.

non-essential duty

Emphasizes the lack of necessity of the task using the word "duty" to suggest an obligation

additional assignment

Refers to a task that supplements the primary responsibilities.

auxiliary responsibility

Replaces "peripheral" with "auxiliary" and "task" with "responsibility" to highlight the supporting role.

supporting function

Shifts the focus to the role the task plays, using "function" to denote a specific purpose.

incidental operation

Describes the task as occurring casually or in connection with something else.

side activity

Replaces "task" with "activity" and uses the word "side" to highlight it's not the main activity.

extra task

Simply conveys that the task is added to the main responsibilities.

FAQs

How can I use the phrase "peripheral task" in a sentence?

You can use "peripheral task" to describe tasks that are secondary or less important than the main task. For example, "While completing the primary research, data entry became a "peripheral task"".

What is an example of a "peripheral task" in project management?

In project management, a "peripheral task" might include administrative duties or tasks delegated to supporting staff, while the core tasks focus on strategic planning and execution.

What are some alternatives to the phrase "peripheral task"?

Alternatives include "secondary activity", "minor assignment", or "non-essential duty", depending on the specific context.

How does a "peripheral task" differ from a main task?

A "peripheral task" is less critical and often supports the main task, requiring less direct attention and fewer resources compared to central activities that directly impact the primary objectives.