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A multifaceted construct involving a collection of interrelated, higher-level mental abilities believed to underlie independent goal-directed behavior, problem solving, and efficiency of knowledge acquisition. Abilities commonly associated with executive functioning include: initiation, planning, organization, working memory, attention, mental flexibility or shifting, inhibition, emotional regulation, and self-monitoring. Historically, this set of abilities was believed to be narrowly associated with the frontal lobe region of the brain; however, more recent research suggests that executive functioning relies on a number of networks that extend to other regions of the brain, including the frontal and posterior regions of the cerebral cortex, and the subcortex.
References and Readings
Goldstein, S., & Naglieri, J. A. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of executive functioning. New York: Springer.
Jurado, M. B., & Rosselli, M. (2007). The elusive nature of executive functions: A review of our current understanding. Neuropsychology Review, 17(3), 213–233. doi:10.1007/s11065-007-9040-z.
Lezak, M. D., Howieson, D. B., Bigler, E. D., & Tranel, D. (2012). Neuropsychological assessment (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
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Shannon, C.R., Shank, L., Thomas-Duckwitz, C. (2017). Executive Functioning. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1435-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1435-2
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