Executive function: Debunking an overprized construct

IF 5.7 1区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Developmental Review Pub Date : 2024-11-12 DOI:10.1016/j.dr.2024.101168

Andreas Demetriou , Elena Kazali , George Spanoudis , Nikolaos Makris , Smaragda Kazi

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Abstract

This paper explores the structure of executive functions, the common core underlying them, their development, and their relations with fluid reasoning. We reanalysed several studies which examined aspects of attention control, cognitive flexibility, working memory, relational integration, perceptual and inferential awareness, and reasoning from 4 to 16 years of age. We show that attention control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory are distinct but they share a common factor. This factor is completely identical with an integral construct standing for relational integration and awareness, suggesting that executive function does not have much beyond this construct. Developmental changes in executive function are heavily dependent on this construct. These changes are formalized in terms of series of syntactic rules defining executive possibilities from 4 to 16 years of age and in terms of a mathematical function defining how they relate with age. The theoretical and practical implications of this model are discussed.

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执行功能：揭穿一个被过度推崇的概念

本文探讨了执行功能的结构、执行功能的共同核心、执行功能的发展以及执行功能与流畅推理之间的关系。我们重新分析了几项研究，这些研究考察了 4 至 16 岁儿童的注意力控制、认知灵活性、工作记忆、关系整合、感知和推理意识以及推理能力。我们的研究表明，注意力控制、认知灵活性和工作记忆是不同的，但它们有一个共同的因素。这个因子与代表关系整合和意识的整体结构完全相同，这表明执行功能并没有超出这个结构太多的地方。执行功能的发展变化在很大程度上取决于这一结构。这些变化通过一系列句法规则被正式确定下来，这些规则定义了从 4 岁到 16 岁的执行可能性，并通过数学函数定义了它们与年龄的关系。本文讨论了这一模型的理论和实践意义。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Developmental Review PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL-

CiteScore

11.00

自引率

3.00%

发文量

审稿时长

51 days

期刊介绍： Presenting research that bears on important conceptual issues in developmental psychology, Developmental Review: Perspectives in Behavior and Cognition provides child and developmental, child clinical, and educational psychologists with authoritative articles that reflect current thinking and cover significant scientific developments. The journal emphasizes human developmental processes and gives particular attention to issues relevant to child developmental psychology. The research concerns issues with important implications for the fields of pediatrics, psychiatry, and education, and increases the understanding of socialization processes.