According to Miyake et al.'s influential model, the three core executive functions are:
A: Attention, memory, and language
B: Inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory updating
C: Planning, problem-solving, and decision-making
D: Reasoning, fluid intelligence, and processing speed
Correct: Inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory updating
Miyake et al. (2000) used factor analysis to identify three separable but moderately correlated core executive functions: Inhibitory control (suppressing dominant responses), Cognitive flexibility (switching between tasks or perspectives), and Updating/monitoring of working memory. Higher-order EFs such as planning and reasoning are thought to be built from combinations of these three core components.
The case of Phineas Gage (1848) is a landmark in neuroscience because:
A: It demonstrated that language is lateralised to the left hemisphere
B: Damage to his frontal lobes dramatically changed his personality and behaviour while leaving intelligence largely intact
C: It showed that the brain can recover fully from massive trauma
D: He lost his memory following a traumatic brain injury
Correct: Damage to his frontal lobes dramatically changed his personality and behaviour while leaving intelligence largely intact
An iron rod passed through Gage's skull, destroying much of his prefrontal cortex. He survived but was reportedly transformed: from a capable, responsible foreman to someone who was impulsive, profane, and unable to follow through on plans. His physician, John Harlow, documented the case as evidence that the frontal lobes govern personality and social behaviour. Modern neuroimaging of Gage's skull has confirmed the extent of his frontal damage.
The Stroop task is widely used to measure which executive function?
A: Cognitive flexibility
B: Working memory capacity
C: Inhibitory control
D: Sustained attention
Correct: Inhibitory control
In the Stroop task, participants name the ink colour of colour words (e.g., the word "RED" printed in blue ink). Reading is a dominant, automatic response that must be inhibited to correctly name the ink colour. The Stroop interference effect — slower and more error-prone performance on incongruent trials — indexes how efficiently a person can suppress this prepotent response. It is one of the most replicated findings in psychology.
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is used to measure cognitive flexibility. A patient who persists in sorting cards by a rule that no longer works is showing:
A: Proactive interference
B: Perseveration — the inability to shift set when rules change
C: A failure of working memory
D: Learned helplessness
Correct: Perseveration — the inability to shift set when rules change
The WCST requires participants to sort cards according to a rule (colour, shape, or number) that changes without warning. Patients with frontal lobe damage often perseverate — continuing to sort by the old rule even after receiving repeated negative feedback. This perseverative behaviour reflects a failure to update cognitive sets, which is a cardinal sign of frontal dysfunction.
Why do adolescents show greater risk-taking than adults, according to neuroscientific models of brain development?
A: The amygdala is immature in adolescence, reducing fear responses
B: The limbic reward system matures earlier than the prefrontal cortex, creating an imbalance between emotional reactivity and regulatory control
C: Adolescents have lower dopamine levels, making rewards feel less satisfying
D: The hippocampus is overactive in adolescence, producing impulsive memories
Correct: The limbic reward system matures earlier than the prefrontal cortex, creating an imbalance between emotional reactivity and regulatory control
The dual-systems model (Casey, Steinberg) proposes that the limbic system — responsible for reward sensitivity and emotional reactivity — matures relatively early, while the prefrontal cortex, which regulates impulses and weighs long-term consequences, continues developing until the mid-20s. This temporal gap leaves adolescents with heightened reward-seeking and emotional intensity but relatively immature regulatory capacity.
ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is increasingly understood as primarily a disorder of:
A: Long-term memory formation
B: Executive function, particularly inhibitory control and working memory
C: Sensory processing and perception
D: Emotional recognition and social cognition
Correct: Executive function, particularly inhibitory control and working memory
Russell Barkley's influential model reconceptualises ADHD as fundamentally a disorder of executive function rather than attention per se. The core deficit is inhibitory control — difficulty suppressing dominant responses, managing impulses, and regulating behaviour across time. Working memory, emotional regulation, and planning are also impaired. This reframing has implications for treatment: behavioural and cognitive strategies target EF rather than attention directly.
Dual-process theory (Kahneman's System 1 and System 2) maps onto executive function how?
A: System 1 involves the prefrontal cortex; System 2 involves the limbic system
B: System 1 is fast, automatic, and intuitive; System 2 is slow, effortful, and deliberate — requiring executive function
C: Both systems rely equally on prefrontal executive control
D: System 2 thinking is associated with reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex
Correct: System 1 is fast, automatic, and intuitive; System 2 is slow, effortful, and deliberate — requiring executive function
System 1 (fast, automatic, intuitive) operates largely without executive oversight and is prone to cognitive biases. System 2 (slow, deliberate, effortful) recruits prefrontal executive resources — working memory, inhibitory control — to override automatic responses when careful reasoning is required. Executive function impairments tilt behaviour toward System 1 defaults, which is partly why ADHD and frontal damage are associated with impulsive decision-making.
Which activity has the strongest evidence for improving executive functions in children?
A: Listening to Mozart (the "Mozart effect")
B: Aerobic exercise and structured play, particularly activities requiring self-regulation
C: Brain training apps using computerised working memory tasks
D: Dietary supplements including omega-3 fatty acids
Correct: Aerobic exercise and structured play, particularly activities requiring self-regulation
Aerobic exercise has the strongest evidence base for improving EF in children, with effects on attention, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. Activities like traditional games requiring rule-following, sports with complex strategy, and martial arts also show benefits. Commercial brain training shows narrow improvements on trained tasks but little transfer to real-world EF. The Mozart effect has not held up to replication.
Executive Functions
According to Miyake et al.'s influential model, the three core executive functions are:
About this quiz
Executive functions are the mental processes that allow us to plan, focus, resist impulses, and juggle multiple tasks. They are primarily supported by the prefrontal cortex and develop throughout childhood and adolescence, not reaching full maturity until the mid-20s.
This quiz covers the core components of executive function, key clinical cases, tests used to measure them, their development, and their role in conditions such as ADHD.