Executive functions

The early building blocks of executive functions (EFs) —higher-order cognitive processes underlying goal-directed behavior—are acquired during infancy and undergo remarkable improvement throughout this period. Professor Cuevas will discuss the emergence and development of EFs during infancy, with a focus on core processes of working memory and inhibitory control.

This lecture will attempt to address the state-of-the-art with respect to many of these issues in the field of developmental science and recent work on clinical trials in nutrition. It will present definitions and characterizations of executive function, the brain areas that are thought to be involved in executive function, the normative developmental course of executive function (extending from infancy through adolescence), and the degree to which executive function is considered to be trainable or malleable