Executive Function: The Search for an Integrated Account |
| |
Authors: | Marie T Banich |
| |
Institution: | Department of Psychology &Neuroscience, and Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Colorado at Boulder;Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver |
| |
Abstract: | ABSTRACT— In general, executive function can be thought of as the set of abilities required to effortfully guide behavior toward a goal, especially in nonroutine situations. Psychologists are interested in expanding the understanding of executive function because it is thought to be a key process in intelligent behavior, it is compromised in a variety of psychiatric and neurological disorders, it varies across the life span, and it affects performance in complicated environments, such as the cockpits of advanced aircraft. This article provides a brief introduction to the concept of executive function and discusses how it is assessed and the conditions under which it is compromised. A short overview of the diverse theoretical viewpoints regarding its psychological and biological underpinnings is also provided. The article concludes with a consideration of how a multilevel approach may provide a more integrated account of executive function than has been previously available. |
| |
Keywords: | executive function frontal lobe prefrontal cortex inhibition task switching working memory attention top-down control |
|
|