Talk:Executive functions

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 7 July 2020 and 14 August 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Kdelamora.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 21:01, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

"Hypothesized" Role
Is it appropriate to have a hypothesis in a encyclopedic article? Should be in the talk section. Drrake (talk) 00:29, 29 May 2014 (UTC)

Nominate for Good Article
Add Rebecca Silton (talk) 03:57, 23 December 2011 (UTC)rsilton

Feedback on Page as of 11/17/11
There has been a flurry of activity on this page. Awesome job, editors! Special shout-out to VF, AZ, and MR. The page is definitely taking shape!

Areas of Strength:
 * I really like some of the examples used to illustrate executive functions (i.e., refusing cake when on a diet, waiting for a friend at the train station, etc.)
 * The quote used for the Miller and Cohen model is helpful.
 * Added section on bilingualism is cool - great way to bring in culturally relevant research!
 * Very comprehensive list of models that are explained well. I esp. like language that spells it out "First... Second... Third... Last..."
 * Added sections on development of EF throughout the lifespan presents clear and important content that will be relevant to many readers.

Areas in Need of Improvement: Examples: --> Top-Down Inhibitory Control section: "facilitatory" and "amplificatory"
 * In general, some of the language can get pretty academic/hifalutin and may not be suitable for all readers.

--> Hypothesized Role section, 3rd paragraph: "prepotent responses" Examples: --> "When studying executive functions, a developmental framework is helpful because these abilities mature at different rates over time, with some peaking in late childhood or adolescence while others progressing until early adulthood."
 * Citations should go after punctuation, not before.
 * In general, some sentences seem overly long or have a "run-on" feel. I think it might be easier to read if a more concise writing style is used. There were also a few grammar issues/sentences that were a bit confusing to a lay reader (see italics below).

--> "Yet, it is during adolescence when the different brain systems become better integrated, so youth implement executive functions, such as inhibitory control, more efficiently and effectively, improving throughout this time period."

--> "The advent of bloodflow-based neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) has more recently permitted the demonstration that neural activity in a number of sensory regions, including color-, motion-, and face-responsive regions of visual cortex, is enhanced when subjects are directed to attend to that dimension of a stimulus, suggestive of gain control in sensory neocortex."
 * Connectivity... section: What is the "biasing model?" It is not described in the models listed above.
 * Components of EF section: Is there any content that is supposed to go there?
 * Adding more within-Wikipedia links to some subsections may be helpful (i.e., Development sections, bilinugal section, SAS Model (for example, schema. BTW - plural of schema should be schemata or schemas)).

Just to Consider...
 * "More Recent Contributions" heading: this gives the connotation that other sections are old or out-dated. It might be nice to re-title this "Future Directions" or "Promising new research" or something.
 * I thought the breadth of content here is great. It might be hepful to add a section on assessments of EF (ex.: the BRIEF, DKEFS, CAS, etc.)
 * Intro, 1st paragraph: Why are several individuals (Botvinick, Verguts, etc.) cited like a research paper? Maybe it would be better to cite them using a superscript? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cholbein (talk • contribs) 21:23, 17 November 2011 (UTC)

cognitive control
I suggest to change the title of this article to 'cognitive control' and redirect 'executive functions' to it rather than the other way around. In the recent high-impact scientific literature the term 'executive functions' seems to have fallen out of favor.146.50.209.116 (talk) 01:49, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I can't agree with this. The term "cognitive control" is very nebulous, whereas at least scientists generally understand what "executive function" is supposed to mean.  Also, I believe the term is still pretty widely used.  (I myself am not fond of it, but that's another story...) In any case, this article as written really doesn't capture the literature very well. Looie496 (talk) 17:12, 20 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I also disagree. "Executive functions" is the more widely used term, both in Google and in leading neuroscience textbooks,such as Kolb & Whishaw, Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology (2008). Furthermore, the expression "Executive functions" is a very broad one, whereas the expression "cognitive control" also can be used in a very specific way: for example the cognitive control of movement. --Lova Falk (talk) 08:47, 21 September 2008 (UTC)

Where's everything else
The Basal Ganglia are missing138.246.7.136 (talk) 11:48, 20 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Please, feel free to be bold and add them! --Lova Falk (talk) 16:00, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

Miller and Cohen language
The proper format is "Earl Miller, Ph.D."

"Dr. Earl Miller" is incorrect. So is "Dr. Earl Miller, Ph.D."

Usually, in academic publications, supported by citations, you don't mention the degree, on the assumption that the person who did the research is a professor and has an appropriate degree. So, "Earl Miller," or "Earl Miller of University of Whatever" is acceptable.

Sorry, I don't know if wikipedia has exact standards for this sort of thing. I don't have an account, so I'm not going to alter the article.69.225.5.72 (talk) 06:31, 2 September 2010 (UTC)


 * You don't need an account to edit the great majority of articles, including this one. But I went ahead and made the change anyway.  Regards, Looie496 (talk) 21:07, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

Executive Dysfunction
I'm somewhat disappointed at the quality and organization of this article. Executive Functions is an important topic that reaches into a huge range of areas in psychology. In particular, I take issue with the redirection of "executive dysfunction" to this article. There is only a single mention of it within the article body (as well as a mention of Dysexecutive Syndrom). I propose a separate section for Executive Dysfunction focusing more on psychopathology and issues relating to it. There is currently an article for "Dysexecutive Syndrome," and I think that article could be merged into a broader Executive Dysfunction article. I realize this is a drastic change, but I am currently working with a group of students to create such an article and we are quite prepared to make a well-organized and comprehensive contribution. Such an article would include discussion of executive dysfunction from neuropsychological, medical, socio-cultural and educational perspectives (among others).

We are beginning the project today, so please respond ASAP. Thank you! --FractalUniverse187 16:04, 05 February 2009 (UTC)


 * As long as you follow the literature, I think this is an excellent plan. One point that wasn't completely clear:  if multiple people are going to work on the article, each one should have a separate account. Looie496 (talk) 02:37, 6 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the quick response! It's part of an assignment for a university psychology course, so we'll work as a group and then post the results of our collaboration using the account provided by the course instructor. --FractalUniverse187 10:44, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Field independance?
I can't find any info on field independance/non independance..would be useful if someone knows about this, to have an article on it.. heres a link I found with some info

http://www.usd.edu/~ssanto/field.html

dankelly07 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.240.229.68 (talk) 10:30, 12 February 2009 (UTC)

I think field-dependence vs. independence has gone dormant as a research topic. The "rod and frame" apparatus was used to assess it, and also a less cumbersome procedure called the embedded figures test.

Field-dependence was once believed to reflect a robust fundamental personality trait or cognitive style. As I recall, it turned out to be moderately correlated with a variety of other traits. With this sort of topic, the reasons research interest gradually dries up are often never published. You have to talk with an "insider," i.e., someone who was in the trenches, doing the research, to find out. And, sometimes, these topics simply "go out of fashion," typically when their advocates die or retire.

Field dependence is mentioned in the Wikipedia article on "cognitive style." I don't think it's particularly relevant to the topic of the present article. 69.225.5.72 (talk) 06:22, 2 September 2010 (UTC)

Definition
How can a system be also known as functions? Looks like apples and oranges to me. -- C opper K ettle  12:14, 11 April 2009 (UTC)
 * "Executive functions" are the functions that are carried out by the executive system. The executive system is the system that carries out executive functions.  I agree that the wording of the article is very awkward, but I don't think it's a question of apples and oranges. Looie496 (talk) 16:17, 11 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, I understand that. I pointed at the awkwardness. Just now did a stub at Russian Wiki, and it was hard to come up with definition there (0: -- C opper K ettle  16:22, 11 April 2009 (UTC)

EF and Fluid Intelligence
I think there should be something describing how EF is related to fluid intelligence, and how studies suggest EF is seperable from IQ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.194.228.249 (talk) 00:09, 29 July 2009 (UTC)


 * Please, if you have good references, be bold and write a section on this!  Lova Falk     talk   10:00, 19 June 2010 (UTC)

Ambiguous sentence?
"The executive system is thought to be heavily involved in handling novel situations outside the domain of some of our 'automatic' psychological processes that could be explained by the reproduction of learned schemas or set behaviors."

Is it clear whether "that" refers to the executive system or the 'automatic' psychological processes?

--83.250.74.141 (talk) 13:05, 21 December 2010 (UTC)


 * I read "that" as referring to the domain mediated by automatic processes. The sentence maybe should read ... novel situations, those outside ... and then c/that could be explained/explainable/ htom (talk) 17:59, 21 December 2010 (UTC)

References - how do I edit them?
I tried to edit the references to add the title of the first one, since it only has the journal title, but all I get is a tag to ReferenceList - how do I edit the actual references? BTW the title in question was "Assessment of executive functions: Review of instruments and identification of critical issues" — Preceding unsigned comment added by 187.7.28.49 (talk) 21:53, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
 * The actual content of the reference appears in the text source at the spot where you see the number [1]. You will probably be able to figure out how it works -- you need to add a "title=..." field.  Let me know if you continue to have difficulties. Looie496 (talk) 22:06, 26 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Sorry, that was my fault, I didn't realise that I omitted the article title. I'm glad someone picked it up though. Thankyou observant IP editor!! The title has now been inserted. MitchMcM (talk) 00:15, 27 September 2011 (UTC)

Very Complete Article...
This is a very full, complete, organized article...great job to all those who collaborated on it to complete it! Kater144 (talk) 03:34, 15 December 2011 (UTC)

Great update, but one suggestion!
Great work guys! I wanted to add that I would love to see some images on this page. Featured articles that are really fun to read have great visuals. A giant wall full of black and white text can sometimes make things a bit hard/slow to read. Especially with neuroanatomy and experimental neuroimaging data, I think visuals would add a bit more awesomeness!

BrianMSweis (talk) 03:08, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

Multi-tasking
The overview of the article mentions multi-tasking; however, most reseacrh suggests that multi-tasking is not possible unless the other task is not executive function related (automatic/procedural memory)  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.238.29.152 (talk) 17:09, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
 * Hi 141.238.29.152! You were very quick in removing "multi-tasking". However, there is a reference for it, whereas you don't provide a reference for your statement ("mosts research suggests" is not a source). It also surprises me, because, for instance driving a car while talking with someone is an example of multi-tasking in which a person needs to constantly need to monitor their attention, paying more attention to traffic when necessary, and more attention to the conversation when possible. So of course executive functions are involved.
 * I will now revert your edit - one of the most important reasons being that it is sourced - but please let us have a discussion about it here. With friendly regards,  Lova Falk     talk   18:29, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
 * I agree that "multi-tasking" is a misleading term for a process of task switching among multiple activities. Multi-tasking, and "dual tasks" are research paradigms, not cognitive processes or executive funtions. People cannot multi-task on control function tasks because each tasks requires selective attention. The actual cognitive control processes involved in task switching are goal switching and rule acquisition . Pure multi-tasking is possible when engaging in tasks that use separate brain regions, such as having a conversation using cortical executive control and engaging in automatic driving behavior via procedural/non-declarative striatum and cerebellum activity. However, this is an executive function article, so the definition of "executive functions" need not include non-declarative activity. Executive functions may monitor multiple tasks, but only one at a time (switching). Driving also involves executive functions, such as planning speed adjustments, evaluating other drivers' behavior, etc.; research evaluating multi-tasking in driving shows that having a conversation while driving hampers driving performance (i.e., increases reaction time, which is one of the primary causes of automobile accidents, especially in teens). The wording of the example, "paying more attention to traffic when necessary, and more attention to the conversation when possible," demonstrates that people can't do both simultaneously.
 * I believe that the citation for the definition of multitasking is actually a compilation of other works and the source does not directly examine multi-tasking . In fact, the Chan article refers to a work by Burgess and colleagues which explains the history of the term multi-tasking (i.e., used by astronaut Jerry Linenger). The idea of multi-tasking was originally referred to as "multiple sub-goal scheduling" tasks, but "multitasking" is a catchier term. The problem with the term is that people assume they can multitask, which leads to worse performance in school , the workplace, and increases chances of getting hurt while performing complex tasks. Those who think they're good multi-taskers are actually worse multi-taskers . People who visit this article should know that task switching is what they are doing, which decreases efficiency of cognitive control. Perhaps we can change "multi-tasking" to "task switching?" Referring to multi-tasking seems to only perpetuates a misunderstanding in the general public. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dr.McFall (talk • contribs)

D-KEFS
To the editors who wrote the extensive section on D-KEFS: I didn't throw away your good work, I just moved it to an article on its own, as this test got undue weight here in this article. Lova Falk    talk   12:22, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

Broadbent's filter model
I can't find any evidence to suggest that Broadbent introduced the term "selective attention" any earlier than when publishing his article on the Filter Model of Attention in 1958. Thus he couldn't have introduced the term in the 1940's as the article says he did — Preceding unsigned comment added by 31.208.78.20 (talk) 11:25, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

References to the Present should be revised, since present quickly becomes past
There is a continuous problem noted in Wikipedia articles where editors write in terms of the present, but that present quickly becomes past -- thus the present terms become wrong. For example, writing about something as having "recently" happened, leads to incorrect statement in a short period of time. This type of problem is found in this article, for example:


 * "Although research into the executive functions and their neural basis has increased markedly over recent years, the theoretical framework in which it is situated is not new." [Emphasis mine.]


 * The footnote which accompanies this statement is dated 1977, but as I write this talk post, the date is September, 2017! What was recent in 1977 is no longer recent.  Likewise the verb "is" should not be used in this statement since whatever is when the article is written quickly becomes a was.  Does the article mean that the theoretical framework was not new in 1977?  Or is it that the framework was not new when this article was written?  But why comment on that if the footnote is to 1977?  And is such a statement meaningful in 2017?  Could the author please restate this sentence so that it will be correct forever?  Also this statement might be clarified. Are you speaking about the theoretical framework of the research done right before 1977? It seems confusing or platitudinous that one would speak about research done before 1977 having a theoretical framework not new when this article was written or in 2017.  (PeacePeace (talk) 04:55, 1 October 2017 (UTC))

Academic tic
All from the present lead:


 * (e.g., the Stroop test)
 * (i.e., reasoning and problem solving)
 * (e.g., the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function)
 * (i.e., internal vs external or environmental, respectively)
 * (i.e., stimulus control of behavior)

&mdash; MaxEnt 00:07, 27 October 2017 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure I understand what the issue is in this section. Is something wrong with those parenthetical statements?  Seppi  333  (Insert 2¢) 01:49, 13 November 2017 (UTC)

Non-neutral POV?
"making people more human than animal." I don't think this is very scientific. Can someone re-write this part? 148.57.8.123 (talk) 18:00, 2 October 2018 (UTC)

Changing one's functioning in another country
I was just in the U.K., and I noted that I *augmented* my functioning when crossing the street, so I decided to add that here. RayBirks (talk) 12:21, 17 February 2019 (UTC)

"other central nervous system disorders"
"Cognitive control is impaired in addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and a number of other central nervous system disorders."

Does the meaning of "disorder" here is something like "sick", "erroneous"?

---

Does that sentence mean that beside the listed named cases, also some "nervous system disorders" are on this list?

Or does that mean that "addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism" are "central nervous system disorders"?

In the second case, I wonder if instead of "disorder" something like "difference" would be closer to what the story is about.

Geza.molnar (talk) 23:20, 8 March 2024 (UTC)