Marcie Yeager and Daniel Yeager: Executive Function & Child Development

Among all psychological variables that affect healthy child and adolescent development, executive function (EF) is perhaps the most important. Broadly defined, EF relates to the family of processes that are needed to intentionally change behavior, to pay attention, and to act in ways that are not automatic or habitual. Fully developed EF abilities allow youth to regulate their behavior, keeping themselves and others safe through non-impulsive decision making and actions. There are also many other important skills that depend on, and are directly related to, EF such as concentrating on tasks at hand, following rules, and accomplishing long-term goals and objectives. Indeed, EF is so central to healthy development that in a recent review, Diamond (2013) concludes that EF is “…critical for many of the skills that most people would agree will be important for success in the twenty-first century…” (p. 155), highlighting the importance of understanding and promoting EF in childhood and adolescence. …