Just as an executive at a large company monitors all departments to ensure they operate as efficiently as possible, the higher brain centers in the frontal lobe function in a similar way. They control our behavior and coordinate other cognitive functions, such as planning and organizing. The frontal cortex matures later than any other brain region. From an evolutionary perspective, this area of the brain also developed late, and in humans it is much larger than in our closest primate relatives. The frontal lobes typically account for one-third of the human brain. Listed below are 8 executive functions that are important for regulating behavior and are related to the functioning of this brain region.
1. Impulse control
- I am able to think before I act.
- People around me often criticize me for behaving inappropriately.
- Sometimes I can’t resist the urge to drink more, overeat, or drive at dangerous speeds.
2. Emotional control
- I can keep my emotions in check.
- I often overreact. I have a hard time handling criticism or when things don’t go as planned.
- I’m moody; my emotions are like a roller coaster.
3. Cognitive Flexibility
- I adapt quickly to changes and new situations.
- It frustrates me when I have to change my perspective on something.
- Even if something didn’t work out for me last time, I can’t easily learn from it.
4. Working Memory
- I can easily keep key information in mind to complete a task.
- Even if someone explains instructions to me clearly and repeatedly, I can’t remember them.
- I’m not the type of person who can handle multiple tasks at once.
5. Self-Monitoring
- I can realistically assess how well I’m doing.
- I’m often surprised when my performance is rated lower than I expected.
- People tell me I have a problem, but I don’t see it that way.
6. Planning and Prioritizing
- I can set a goal and plan the steps to achieve it.
- I anticipate risks and obstacles that might arise and try to prevent them.
- When working on a project, I often have trouble deciding what’s most important.
- I have a hard time forcing myself to plan for the future.
7. Getting Started
- It’s easy for me to get started and begin working on my task.
- When I sit down to a new task, I often “freeze” because I don’t know where to start.
8. Organization
- I can easily coordinate my mental and physical activities and achieve my goals.
- I often get lost in a stream of thoughts, forget things, or misplace items.
- I can’t plan my departure from home so that I arrive at a meeting on time.
Deficits in executive functions are associated with numerous psychiatric and developmental disorders, including OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), Tourette syndrome, depression, schizophrenia, addictions, frontotemporal dementia, ADD/ADHD (attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity), and autism spectrum disorders.
Executive functions are difficult to assess because they themselves coordinate individual cognitive functions such as memory, language, and visuospatial orientation. Impairment of any single function can then affect the ability to plan and organize. The functioning of executive functions is best observed in everyday life, which is difficult to simulate under laboratory conditions. The aging process is often associated with a decline in these brain functions. Your grandmother, a renowned cook, can no longer manage to plan her weekend meals and do all the shopping, or she forgets about the cake in the oven. Sometimes, however, executive functions are impaired from childhood onward—this is often associated with poorer performance in school or at work, less stable relationships, and lower self-esteem. According to research by Friedman et al. (2008), performance in these functions is genetically influenced. However, it is not related to intelligence or processing speed.
According to Adele Diamond (2012), executive functions can be trained in children. The best results have been demonstrated in computer-based cognitive training and martial arts training. A smaller but noticeable effect was also observed after long-term practice of yoga or aerobics. “Breaking tasks down into steps” is also an important aid in managing work tasks. A complex activity is broken down into small, easily manageable steps. So instead of telling your child to “pack your school bag,” ask them to pull out tomorrow’s schedule, and go through the supplies they need to pack, subject by subject. Finally, check their pencil case and sharpen their pencils. If you repeatedly break down a task into steps like this for a child, they’ll learn how to proceed in that situation. Students and working adults can use the same method. If a goal seems too far away, what’s the first step I can take right now?
Further reading:
