ABSTRACT

Executive function (EF) skills are a set of attention-regulation skills involved in intentional, goal-directed behavior that include (but are not limited to) the cool EF skills of working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control, and also the hot EF skill of intentional reevaluation. These skills are inevitably expressed in goal- and context-dependent ways, leading some to view EF skills as specific adaptations to particular problems and reinforcing interest in the use of more ecologically contextualized assessments. Appreciation of the context-dependency of EF skills adds to our understanding of how EF skills develop as a consequence of particular experiences and how they contribute to key developmental outcomes. There are good reasons, however, to view EF skills as relatively domain-general neurocognitive skills. Measured using standardized direct behavioral assessments, these skills are associated reliably with well-defined but distinct neural networks; they predict long-term developmental outcomes; and they can be trained in ways that produce far transfer. We argue that developmental systems models of EF skills can reconcile views of EF skills as relatively domain-general and views that emphasize the context-dependency of these skills. Ecologically adapted measures of EF skills can complement standardized measures that capture important age-related and individual differences and should remain a cornerstone of research on the topic. We believe this type of model will facilitate a deeper understanding of how multiple, simultaneous, and interacting causal influences, operating at many levels of analysis (cultural, social, cognitive, neural, and molecular), work together to produce conscious control.

摘要

执行功能 (EF) 技能是一组涉及有意的、目标导向的行为的注意力调节技能，包括（但不限于）工作记忆、认知灵活性和抑制控制等冷 EF 技能，以及热有意重新评估的 EF 技能。这些技能不可避免地以依赖于目标和背景的方式表达，导致一些人将 EF 技能视为对特定问题的特定适应，并增强了对使用更具生态背景的评估的兴趣。对 EF 技能的环境依赖性的认识增加了我们对 EF 技能如何因特定经历而发展以及它们如何促进关键发展成果的理解。然而，有充分的理由将 EF 技能视为相对领域一般的神经认知技能。使用标准化的直接行为评估来衡量，这些技能与定义明确但截然不同的神经网络可靠地相关联；他们预测长期的发展成果；他们可以通过产生远距离迁移的方式进行培训。我们认为，EF 技能的发展系统模型可以调和将 EF 技能视为相对一般领域的观点和强调这些技能的上下文依赖性的观点。EF 技能的生态适应措施可以补充标准化措施，捕捉重要的年龄相关和个体差异，并且应该仍然是该主题研究的基石。我们相信，这种类型的模型将有助于更深入地了解多重、同时和相互作用的因果影响如何在多个分析层面（文化、社会、认知、神经和分子）运作，