The new dimensions for infant learning - Prof. John Colombo

Executive function is a critical component of cognitive development.  In many ways, executive function represents those higher-order abilities that are often taken to define the human intellect: goal-directed behavior, controlled attention, inhibition, self-regulation, cognitive flexibility, planning, and strategic behavior.  The origins of executive function can be traced to late in the first year of life, and continue to develop well into early adulthood.  The brain areas that mediate the emergence of these skills are widely believed to be frontal and prefrontal cortex, and the developmental course of these skills are closely tied to the development of those brain areas.  A great deal of recent research on executive function is concerned with whether executive function represents a single unitary ability or whether it is actually comprised of several independent skills.  Other work is concerned with whether or not executive function is malleable, or whether it can be “trained”; for example, whether executive function can be improved with practice or with systemic interventions (e.g., nutrition), or whether practice/training on certain skills of executive function can result in improvements in other executive function skill.