What Are Executive Functions?

Chinese name: Executive function

Foreign name: Executive function
Applied discipline: psychology

Introduction to executive functions

Research on the definition, theoretical interpretation and development of executive function is a hot topic in international developmental psychology. Executive function refers to the psychological process in which an organism consciously controls thoughts and actions. The research on the development of executive function generally reveals: (1) the earliest emergence of executive function in early development, about the end of the first year of life; (2) the age span of executive function development is large. Important developments have occurred at the age of two to five, and around the age of twelve years, many adults have reached the standard level of performing functional tests, and some indicators have continued to develop into adulthood; (3) in the pre-school period and beyond, there are systematic aspects of executive functions Change, they are mutually promoting and co-developing; (4) the development of executive functions is inseparable from the development of mental theory, language, memory and other abilities; (5) different childhood development disorders (such as autism and attention Defective hyperactivity disorder) may cause defects in different aspects of executive function. ^[1]

Executive function perspective

There are various views on the definition and theoretical explanation of executive function.

Executive function from the perspective of neuropsychology

Because the concept of "executive function" comes from the research of prefrontal cortex damage, prefrontal cortex damage has caused a series of neuropsychological deficiencies, such as: planning, concept formation, abstract thinking, decision making, cognitive flexibility, use of feedback, Difficulties in ordering events and monitoring actions in chronological order. A series of capabilities corresponding to these difficulties is the original meaning of the term "executive function". Tarnel, nAdesorn, and Bennotn summarize executive functions as the ability to plan, make decisions, make judgments, and self perception. Because these capabilities are almost all related to the prefrontal cortex, the terms executive function (EF) and prefrontal cortex (PCF) are often used interchangeably, but it should be noted that the two are not exactly equal. Executive function depends not only on the prefrontal cortex, but also on other cortical areas such as the limbic system. Some patients with impaired prefrontal cortex have no impediments in executive function, while some patients with impaired cortical areas show executive dysfunction. Although the current research is enthusiastic about the modular processing of the brain, researchers tend to adopt the idea of positioningism, but in terms of complex functions such as executive functions, this idea is obviously inappropriate.

Executive Function Inhibition Control Theory

Another view that has a greater impact is to define executive function as inhibition control, that is, the ability to inhibit one's own behavior. Many early explanations of age-related developmental changes in executive function are based on the theory of inhibition, which still has an impact to this day. Because executive dysfunction is usually manifested as persistent errors, that is, repeated repeated strong responses that do not conform to current rules, and "persistence" is reminiscent of behaviors that should be inhibited. Therefore, executive functions are defined as inhibitory controls and executive functions Obstacles are explained as individuals' inability to suppress the strong tendency to respond to conflicts with their goals due to the immaturity of the inhibition mechanism. This explanation is just a direct and empirical claim, with obvious limitations. First, the theory of inhibition cannot cover all the phenomena included in the execution function, such as planning in tasks, motion monitoring, and source monitoring of events. Suppression control is indeed an important aspect of executive function, but it is not accurate to equate executive function with restraint capability. Second, the theory of inhibition cannot distinguish the inherent differences between the difficulties caused by various tasks.

Advanced cognitive function theory of executive function

The third view is to define executive function as a more advanced cognitive mechanism or ability. For example, some researchers believe that "executive function is a cognitive model, which consists of the output elements of effectors, including inhibition, working memory, and organizational strategies necessary to respond". This view only lists some of the components of executive function, and does not further explain how the executive function is obtained, and the various components of the executive function, such as the substantive issues such as the functional relationship between planning and self-awareness. In addition, many researchers attach great importance to the role of working memory in the development of executive functions, and believe that changes in the actual or functional capacity of working memory will directly lead to different performances of executive functions, and put forward "working memory theory of executive functions". The development of various aspects of executive function does depend to a large extent on the development of working memory, but the limitation of working memory capacity obviously cannot explain all the phenomena of executive function. Some people also combine working memory and inhibition control, and think that executive function includes inhibition and working memory, and put forward "theory of working memory and inhibition of executive function". We consider this view to be equally incomplete.

Executive Functional Cognitive Complexity and Control Theory

This view was proposed by Zelazo and Frye (1997). Zelazo et al. Adopted Luria's view of executive function as a function rather than a mechanism or cognitive structure, arguing that "function" is essentially a behavioral concept defined by its result-"what was achieved" . In terms of executive functions, the result is a well-thought-out problem-solving. To describe the characteristics of a complex function such as executive function, it is necessary to focus on problem solving and organically combine the different sub-functional stages of problem solving to reveal how these stages act on results. Based on this, they define executive function as a macro concept, including four aspects that are sequential in time and functionally different: problem characterization, planning, execution, and evaluation. The plan includes two sub-steps of forming intention and rule use, and the evaluation includes two sub-steps of error detection and error correction. This perspective recognizes the inherent layers and complexity of advanced cognitive processes, and guides us to study the interactions between sub-processes in depth, which helps us integrate the results of different research in the field of executive functions.