Executive functions mediated by (pre)frontal lobes Flashcards
What do executive subfunctions look at?
Much wider range of cognitive activities - concrete, short duration, to complex and long running.
What are some of the common functions of the range of cognitive activities (concrete, short duration, to complex and long running)?
- Working memory
- Strategy formation
- Reasoning
- Planning
- Response regulation
- Emotional regulation
- Social judgment
- Decision making
Recognition of
important information
Discrimination of
primary from secondary or relevant from irrelevant stimuli
Plan development including
appropriate sequence of steps
Initiation of
action/response
Sustaining
responses
Discontinuation of
action/response
Evaluation of
outcome of action/response
Modification of
strategy with changes in circumstances or based on response feedback
Common theme to all executive functions mediated by (pre)frontal lobes:
consolidation and retrieval on new info; a way of directing cognitive abilities toward a specific goal; goals are always changing in relation to context/environment; executive functioning - what goal do I need and how do I get there?
Anterior and posterior systems:
- Anterior is DLPFC; chooses target like lecture rather than clicking keyboard
- Posterior is important in working memory as well; involved in spatial information; where multimodal sensory association area is located - receives info from all sensory areas. Highest level of perception -> directing part of system so engaging and disengaging certain parts
Working memory alters the way…
cortical processing occurs
Superior:
spatial working memory (WMS spatial test)
Inferior
object working memory (symbol search on WAIS)
