Lecture 10 Executive control, decision making, problem solving

Question 1

Executive functions encompass a variety of abilities that help aid in the __, __, and __ of other cognitive abilities (e.g., attention, memory, and motor skills), and are extremely important for successful completion of ___ tasks.

Answer 1

maintenance, organization, integration, everyday

Question 2

Executive functions are also referred to as executive ___.

Answer 2

control

Question 3

What are six clusters of executive functions? (hint: AFEEMA)

Answer 3

activation, focus, effort, emotion, memory, action

Question 4

Name the cluster of executive function that involves: task initiation, planning/organization, prioritizing, and mental flexibility.

Answer 4

activation

Question 5

Name the cluster of executive function that involves: sustained attention

Answer 5

focus

Question 6

Name the cluster of executive function that involves: goal-directed persistence, regulating alertness, and processing speed

Answer 6

effort

Question 7

Name the cluster of executive function that involves: regulation of affect and theory of mind

Answer 7

emotion

Question 8

Define working memory.

Answer 8

ability to take in info, hold it and manipulate it, then use it to produce a response

Question 9

Name the cluster of executive function that involves: monitoring, self-regulation, inhibition

Answer 9

action

Question 10

The complexity of executive functions and its associated abilities is ___, as is strikingly evident in the tests developed to assess such functioning.

Answer 10

indisputable

Question 11

It is often difficult to distinguish which cognitive processes are involved/utilized in each specific neuropsych test, due to…. [name 3]

Answer 11

individual variability, changing task demands, and complex nature of executive functioning skills

Question 12

What are three confounds in measuring executive functions?

Answer 12

failure to rely on available cognitive models, failure to meet acceptable scientific criteria regarding measurement of constructs, and failure to minimize impact of ‘lower level’ cognitive functions on task performance

Question 13

The Letter-Number Sequencing subtest from WAIS requires the person to…

Answer 13

remember and manipulate info in an ongoing fashion

Question 14

The Connor’s Continuous Performance Test (CPT) requires the person to…

Answer 14

sustain attention, and inhibit particular responses

Question 15

The Stroop Color and Word Test requires the person to…

Answer 15

follow a set of novel rule-based tasks while inhibiting automatic responses

Question 16

The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task requires the person to…

Answer 16

demonstrate problem solving strategies when provided with minimal external cues

Question 17

The Trail Making B requires the person to…

Answer 17

rapidly shift from one sequence to an alternate sequence under a time constraint

Question 18

What are the subclusters of activation?

Answer 18

task initiation, planning/organizing, prioritizing, mental flexibility

Question 19

Focus consists of ___ attention.

Answer 19

sustained

Question 20

What are the subclusters of effort?

Answer 20

goal-directed persistence, regulating alertness, processing speed/time estimation

Question 21

What are the subclusters of emotion?

Answer 21

regulation of affect, and social affect (like ToM)

Question 22

What are the subclusters of action?

Answer 22

monitoring, self-regulation/self-control, inhibition

Question 23

What are some tests that measure executive functioning?

Answer 23

Letter-Number Sequencing, Connor’s Continuous Performance Test, Stroop Color and Word Test, Wisconsing Card Sorting, Trail Making B

Question 24

What are the results of the dual task and aging study? [describe 3]

Answer 24

(1) both younger and older less accurate on auditory working memory task (TDT) when concurrent response to visual working memory task (DIR) was required;
(2) overall, older adults less accurate and slower on auditory and visual across all task conditions;
(3) older adults less accurate than younger during probe interference (vs. single-task), for both auditory and visual

Question 25

fNRIS study provided first evidence that oxygenation levels are increased in the ___ during walking while talking (vs. normal walking alone) in young and old.

Answer 25

PFC