executive functions
Brain's control center
Executive functions are the mental processes that let you plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks.
The term comes from cognitive psychology and neuroscience, where it describes the brain's management system—the capacity to set goals, resist impulses, and adapt when circumstances change.
His ADHD affects executive functions like time management and organization.
Children develop these abilities gradually; damage to the frontal lobes can impair them in adults.
Regulating sudden urges
- self-controlAbility to restrain impulses
- restraintControl over impulses
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
- disciplineTrained self-control or specialty
willpower · delayed gratification · self-regulation · selective attention · error detection · self-monitoring · emotional regulation
Establishing intended outcomes
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- foresightAbility to anticipate futures
- schedulingAssigning times to events
- prioritizationRanking by importance
roadmap · timelines · objectives · outlining · milestones · sequencing · anticipation · strategic thinking
Creating ordered structure
- categorizationArranging into groups
- structuringImposing systematic order
- sortingArranging into sequence
- prioritizationRanking by importance
coordination · sequencing · arrangement · classification · filing · indexing · ordering · information management
Capacity to adapt thinking
- adaptabilityAbility to adjust readily
- pivotPoint of rotation
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
- reorientationChanging one's bearings
switching · open-mindedness · improvisation · fluidity · versatility · reconfigurability · agility · multitasking
- updatingMaking something current
- cognitive loadDemands on working memory
- mental arithmeticComputing numbers without tools
- memory retrievalAccessing stored mental information
impulse control
Regulating sudden urges
- self-controlAbility to restrain impulses
- restraintControl over impulses
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
discipline · willpower · delayed gratification · self-regulation · selective attention · error detection · self-monitoring · emotional regulation
goal-setting
Establishing intended outcomes
- strategyPlanned approach to goals
- foresightAbility to anticipate futures
- schedulingAssigning times to events
prioritization · roadmap · timelines · objectives · outlining · milestones · sequencing · anticipation · strategic thinking · mental simulation
systematization
Creating ordered structure
- categorizationArranging into groups
- structuringImposing systematic order
- sortingArranging into sequence
prioritization · coordination · sequencing · arrangement · classification · filing · indexing · ordering · information management · grouping
mental flexibility
Capacity to adapt thinking
- adaptabilityAbility to adjust readily
- pivotPoint of rotation
- adjustmentAlteration to improve fit
reorientation · switching · open-mindedness · improvisation · fluidity · versatility · reconfigurability · agility · multitasking · mental agility
mental manipulation
- updatingMaking something current
- cognitive loadDemands on working memory
- mental arithmeticComputing numbers without tools
executive functionsautomaticity
Self-generating action capacity
muscle memory · autopilot · knee-jerk reactions · conditioned responses · conditioned reflexes
executive functionssensory processing
Brain interpreting incoming stimuli
executive functionsexecutive dysfunction
Impaired self-direction and initiation
disinhibition · perseveration · impulsivity · cognitive impairment · disorganization
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