secondary task
[/ˈsɛkənderi tæsk/]
nounpl: secondary tasks
tarefa secundária
1. A task of lesser importance or priority that is performed alongside or after a primary task
While waiting for the meeting to start, she completed some secondary tasks like organizing her desk.
Enquanto esperava o início da reunião, ela completou algumas tarefas secundárias como organizar sua mesa.
2. In cognitive psychology, a task performed simultaneously with a primary task to measure attention or cognitive load
Researchers used a secondary task to assess how much attention the participant was devoting to the main experiment.
Os pesquisadores usaram uma tarefa secundária para avaliar quanto de atenção o participante dedicava ao experimento principal.
3. A subordinate objective or goal within a larger project or workflow
The team treated documentation as a secondary task compared to development.
A equipe tratava a documentação como uma tarefa secundária em comparação com o desenvolvimento.
The term 'secondary task' is widely used in Brazilian corporate culture and academic research, particularly in psychology and human factors studies. In both Brazil and Portugal, the concept reflects workplace prioritization strategies. In American English, this term is especially prevalent in cognitive psychology research and software development contexts where multitasking and task management are critical. The phrase emphasizes the hierarchical nature of work objectives and is neutral in tone, focusing on function rather than value judgment.
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →