Executive Control

Which tasks should be used for studying the development of executive control and why?

Executive control is a complex construct concerning interactive functional

systems that involve the integration of subsystems: planning, decision-making,
judgement, and self-perception. Due to its complexity and broad applications of
function, countless tasks have been developed in attempt to assess development of
executive control. The most widely accepted measures of executive function have
been designed or borrowed from cognitive psychology, with these basic requirements
in mind. One of the greatest problems, however, is the lack of consensus as to which
of these measures is a valid indicator of executive function. This essay will describe
and evaluate some of the most popular and effective tasks for studying the
development of executive control, and suggest that a carefully selected combination
of tasks should be used to study executive control.
As executive function incorporates many complex abilities, the most effective
way to study executive function development would be a battery of more specific
executive function tests, together testing a range of abilities. To establish valid
measures of executive function, which overcome the problems described above, it is
essential to evaluate their capacity to measure the primary skills included in
definitions of the concept: planning, problem solving, abstract thinking, concept
formation, self-monitoring, and mental flexibility.

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