Overview
This lecture discusses how executive function and self-regulation are essential, learned brain skills that impact children’s learning, behavior, and long-term success in life.
Executive Function & Self-Regulation
- Executive function and self-regulation are central skills that influence a child's lifelong performance and productivity.
- These skills are more critical than just learning facts like numbers or colors.
- Executive function allows effective handling of distractions, multiple demands, and social interactions.
Components of Executive Function
- Executive function is like the brain’s "air traffic control system" managing information and actions.
- It includes three main skills: working memory, inhibitory control, and mental flexibility.
- Working memory helps remember instructions; inhibitory control helps suppress impulses; mental flexibility helps adapt to new situations.
- Children struggling with executive function may appear inattentive or poorly behaved.
Development of Executive Function
- Roots of executive function appear in infancy and toddlerhood, with significant growth in early childhood and adolescence.
- The prefrontal cortex is crucial, but executive function relies on networks across different brain regions.
- Neural connections supporting executive function become stronger and more integrated with age.
Training & Importance of Executive Function
- Executive functions can be improved with practice, like strengthening muscles at the gym.
- Developing these skills in childhood and adolescence is essential for adult success in work, relationships, and society.
- Failure to develop executive function can lead to ongoing difficulties in various aspects of adult life.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Executive Function — Mental processes that manage attention, behavior, and emotions to achieve goals.
- Self-Regulation — Ability to control impulses, emotions, and behaviors.
- Working Memory — Holding and manipulating information for short periods.
- Inhibitory Control — Ability to suppress impulsive responses.
- Mental Flexibility — Ability to adapt thinking and behavior to new, changing, or unexpected events.
- Prefrontal Cortex — Brain region involved in planning, decision-making, and control of behavior.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review how working memory, inhibitory control, and mental flexibility appear in daily activities.
- Reflect on current strategies for building executive function (personal, classroom, or for children).
- Prepare to discuss examples of executive function and its impact in next class.