Questions and Answers
What is the central executive?
Term for processes that organize and coordinate the functioning of the cognitive system to fulfil current goals
When is the central executive employed?
Where is the central executive located?
Prefrontal cortex
What did Miyake et al propose?
Signup and view all the answers
What is inhibition?
Signup and view all the answers
What does the Stroop task demonstrate?
Signup and view all the answers
What is shifting?
Signup and view all the answers
What is updating?
Signup and view all the answers
What did Collette find?
Signup and view all the answers
When is the right intraparietal sulcus activated?
Signup and view all the answers
When is the left superior parietal sulcus activated?
Signup and view all the answers
When is the lateral prefrontal cortex activated?
Signup and view all the answers
What are the two parts of each executive function?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the unitary factor of executive processes?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the evidence for unity?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the executive processing missing from the Miyake framework?
Signup and view all the answers
What is activated in dual task performance?
Signup and view all the answers
How does dysexecutive syndrome form?
Signup and view all the answers
What did Stuss and Alexander find?
Signup and view all the answers
What is task setting?
Signup and view all the answers
What is monitoring?
Signup and view all the answers
What is energization?
Signup and view all the answers
Where is task setting found?
Signup and view all the answers
Where is monitoring found?
Signup and view all the answers
Where is energization found?
Signup and view all the answers
What is metacognition?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a weakness of Stuss's model?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the episodic buffer?
Signup and view all the answers
Why was the episodic buffer added to the working model of memory?
Signup and view all the answers
What happens in the episodic buffer?
Signup and view all the answers
What did Baddeley and Wilson find?
Signup and view all the answers
What did Baddeley and Wilson find of amnesic patients?
Signup and view all the answers
What brain area is involved in the episodic buffer?
Signup and view all the answers
What did Rudner et al find?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Central Executive Overview
- The central executive organizes and coordinates cognitive processes to achieve current goals.
- It is actively employed during reading, problem-solving, and multitasking.
Location and Functionality
- The central executive is located primarily in the prefrontal cortex.
- It involves three basic processes: inhibition, shifting, and updating, as proposed by Miyake et al.
Key Executive Processes
- Inhibition: The ability to intentionally stop automatic or dominant responses.
- Shifting: Flexibility in moving between different tasks or mental sets.
- Updating: Keeping track of information in working memory and revising necessary details.
Brain Activation and Executive Functions
- Different regions of the prefrontal cortex activate for each executive process:
- Right intraparietal sulcus: Selective attention to relevant stimuli.
- Left superior parietal sulcus: Involvement in switching and integration tasks.
- Lateral prefrontal cortex: Responsible for monitoring and updating.
Unity of Executive Processes
- Each executive function has unique aspects and commonalities across processes.
- Evidence for unity includes fMRI scans showing activation overlap among different functions.
- Dual-task performance is noted as a missing element in Miyake's framework.
Impact of Brain Damage
- Damage to the frontal lobes can lead to dysexecutive syndrome, characterized by impaired central executive functioning.
- Stuss and Alexander identified three executive processes in the frontal lobes: task setting, monitoring, and energization.
Specific Executive Functions
- Task Setting: Involves planning, found in the left lateral frontal cortex.
- Monitoring: Reassessing tasks for execution quality, located in the right lateral frontal cortex.
- Energization: Sustaining attention and concentration, associated with the superior medial region of the frontal cortex.
Metacognition and Model Weaknesses
- Metacognition integrates and orchestrates information for better cognitive processing.
- A weakness of Stuss's model is that distinctions between processes diminish in healthy individuals due to high correlation among functions.
Episodic Buffer in Working Memory
- The episodic buffer serves as a temporary store integrating information, holding details briefly.
- It was added to the working memory model to address limitations of the original framework.
- This buffer allows for combining long-term memory information with data from other memory components like the phonological loop.
Research Findings Related to the Episodic Buffer
- Baddeley and Wilson's study indicated the capacity of the episodic buffer is around four chunks.
- Amnesic patients showed poor immediate prose recall linked to inadequate central executive functioning.
- The hippocampus is associated with the episodic buffer's function.
Additional Research
- Rudner et al. researched language processing, leading to activation in the left hippocampus when combining sign language and speech representations.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
This quiz explores the role of the central executive in cognitive processes like reading, problem-solving, and multitasking. It also examines its location in the prefrontal cortex and key processes such as inhibition, shifting, and updating. Test your understanding of how these executive functions operate and their relevance in daily activities.