The central executive: A concept and some misconceptions
Abstract
Parkin's criticisms of the central executive are based on a series of misconceptions. The central executive is not an organ that might or might not exist, but a scientific concept. Part of its function is to separate the analysis of executive processes from the question of their anatomical location. Like other components of working memory, it is fractionable into subsystems. How the subsystems interrelate and how they map onto the anatomical substrate are empirical questions under active current investigation.
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Executive function is composed of distinct but inter-related components.
“it has been demonstrated that a modular unit is too simplistic and that this construct is composed of distinct but inter-related components”
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- Authors
- BADDELEY, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Bristol (GB)
- Corresponding author
- BADDELEY, ALAN
- ORCID
- BADDELEY, ALAN
- Venue
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 1998-09
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 523-526
- ISSN
- 1355-6177 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7661
- OpenAlex
- W2097419565
- Cited by
- 281
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 20 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 3.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
- Keywords
- central executive, working memory, executive function, Parkin, anatomical localization, cognitive architecture
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Central Nervous System, Humans, Mental Processes
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