executive function

noun

psychology

: the group of complex mental processes and cognitive abilities (such as working memory, impulse inhibition, and reasoning) that control the skills (such as organizing tasks, remembering details, managing time, and solving problems) required for goal-directed behavior

The biggest impacts, she says, are in enhancing what's known as executive function—the ability to perform complex tasks that rely on planning or decision making.

—Janet Raloff

also : one of these complex mental processes

But a new study reports that soccer players actually have superior executive functions, the brain processes responsible for planning and abstract thinking.

—Sindya N. Bhanoo

executive functioning noun

Measures of attention, hyperactivity, and executive functioning (the ability to process feedback, interpret life's good and bad moments, and react in an appropriate way to events) were based on reports from parents and teachers …

—David Kirby

Examples of executive function in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The women also performed better on a test measuring for executive function after their weight loss procedures. —Lauryn Higgins, Health, 16 Apr. 2024

Adderall alternatives are typically natural substances that may improve executive function without the side effects of Adderall. —Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024

The connections between his brain’s frontal lobes, which are responsible for executive function, and the parts of the brain that generate fear, anger, impulsiveness and violence were badly frayed. —Dave Philipps, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024

Teenagers have an abundance of neural pathways, more than what is actually needed to exercise executive function and cognitive control. —Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023

Targeting specific executive functioning weaknesses, ADHD medication is not a cure-all. —Emily Edlynn, Parents, 7 Nov. 2023

Several issues cause travel to be particularly stressful for people with ADHD—such as struggling with executive function, time blindness, and working memory. —Anita Bhagwandas, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2024

This condition manifests through changes in personality, behavior, language and executive function, differing from Alzheimer’s disease by initially impacting behavior and personality rather than memory. —Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 24 Feb. 2024

What's more, researchers have found that persistent PCS can have lasting effects on cognition, learning, memory, and executive function. —Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above