Chapter 11: Executive Function

PBSI 350

What is the two-component system of executive function?

contention scheduling & supervisory attentional system

What is conventional scheduling in the two-component system of executive function?

automatic, learned processes that manage routine behaviors (e.g., habitual responses like stopping at a red light).

What is supervisory attentional system in the two-component system of executive function?

a controlled process required for novel, non-routine situations where goal-directed behavior must override automatic responses

Under the two-component system of executive function, what symptoms would you observe if you had damage to the frontal lobe?

disinhibition, perseveration, and environmental dependency syndrome

What is disinhibition?

difficulty suppressing inappropriate behaviors

What is preservation?

repeating the same actions or thoughts due to an inability to shift processing

What is environmental dependency syndrome?

over reliance on external cues to guide behavior

What is the unity and diversity model of executive function?

posits that while executive function is supported by a common set of cognitive control processes, it also contains separable components

What are the 3 core abilities highlighted by the unity and diversity model of executive function?

inhibition (inhibitory control), shifting (cognitive flexibility), and updating (memory working)

What is inhibition in the unity and diversity model of executive function?

the capacity to suppress inappropriate responses

What is shifting in the unity and diversity model of executive function?

the ability to switch between different tasks or mental sets

What is updating in the unity and diversity model of executive function?

maintaining and refreshing relevant information to guide behavior

What functions/abilities are supported by the frontal lobe within the context of executive function?

creation and maintenance of task goals, initiation of action and effort, inhibition and monitoring, & sequencing and planning

What does the creation and maintenance of task goals entail?

involves the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and frontopolar cortex (BA 10) for task-setting and keeping goals in mind

What does the initiation of action and effort entail?

involved in motivating and initiating efforts to achieve goals, and are mediated by medial frontal regions (including the supplementary motor area and anterior cingulate cortex)

What does inhibition and monitoring entail?

involves inhibitory control (via the inferior frontal cortex and pre-SMA) to suppress inappropriate responses and conflict detection, with error-related signals being generated in the anterior cingulate cortex

What does sequencing and planning entail?

the DLPFC and related networks are important for ordering steps and planning problem solving

Which brain region is responsible for putting together a cost-benefit analysis related to any action?

anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)

How is the ACC responsible for putting together a cost-benefit analysis related to any action?

plays a central role in evaluating the cost–benefit aspects of actions, and helps gauge the effort needed relative to the expected reward, thereby influencing whether an action is initiated or maintained

What is the error-related negativity (ERN)?

an event-related potential observed via EEG that appears approximately 100 ms following an error

What is the source of the ERN?

rostral regions of the ACC and acts as a rapid, undifferentiated signal indicating that an error has occurred

What is the error positivity (Pe)?

a component that follows the ERN (around 200–300 ms after an error)

What is the source of the Pe?

might be in the insula and is more closely related to the conscious awareness or evaluation of the error

How are the ERN and Pe similar/different?

while both are error signals, the ERN is associated with the initial detection of error, whereas the Pe may index later evaluative processes

What is a switch cost?

the longer reaction times or decreased performance observed when a person switches from one task or mental set to another compared to continuing with the same task

Where does a switch cost stem from?

the need to update working memory, inhibit the previous task set, and select a new strategy

What are the 3 types of executive abilities?

initiation and sustaining response, task-setting, & monitoring

What brain regions support initiation and sustaining response?

medial frontal regions

What brain regions support task-setting?

left lateral prefrontal regions (including parts of the DLPFC and frontopolar cortex)

What brain regions support monitoring?

right lateral prefrontal areas

What brain regions are involved when someone is deciding to take a smaller immediate reward v. a large reward in the future?

medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and DLPFC

What does the OFC do when someone is deciding to take a smaller immediate reward v. a large reward in the future?

critical for integrating reward information and conducting a cost–benefit analysis and helps compare immediate rewards versus delayed, larger rewards

What does the DLPFC do when someone is deciding to take a smaller immediate reward v. a large reward in the future?

engaged when individuals need to overcome the temptation of immediate gratification in favor of long-term goals

What brain regions are involved in creativity/insight?

right hemisphere temporal regions (especially the anterior temporal lobe) have been shown to be important for generating creative or “aha” insights

How would you improve insight problem solving via brain stimulation?

techniques such as transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the right anterior temporal lobe have been found to enhance insight problem solving

How does the RLPFC (frontopolar cortex, BA 10) support relational reasoning?

implicated in integrating multiple relationships and abstract rules, thus supporting complex relational reasoning and enables individuals to process and compare different pieces of information