Cognitive Neuroscience - Executive Function

is an umbrella term for a range of cognitive processes that enable us to work in novel situations, where automatic behaviours are not sufficient.

List three typical task situations that heavily rely on the functioning of the prefrontal cortex: , , .

While the prefrontal cortex is engaged in the executive processing of 'cold stimuli, the and cortices are engaged in the executive processing of 'hot stimuli'.

There is an anterior to posterior organisation to the lateral prefrontal cortex, such that the more abstract information engages the more regions and the least abstract information engages more regions.

The right and left prefrontal cortices are functionally distinct in the the lateral prefrontal cortex is specialised for task setting and the lateral prefrontal cortex for task monitoring.

Definition of executive function and three task situations that require executive function.
1. Definition: Executive functions, also known as , is an umbrella term for cognitive processes that enable us to work in situations, where behaviours are not sufficient.
- executive function is responsible for behaviours, which are , and .
- EF specialised cognitive processes.
- metaphors for EF are the brain's or the brain's .
2. Task situations
- - open-ended questions that present novel situations eg. Tower of London task.
- Inhibiting responses - to generate novel responses one needs to inhibit habitual ones eg. Go/No-go Task
- - unexpected rule changes that demand behavioural adjustments eg. Wisconsin Card sorting task.