Attentional Control and Executive Function

Abstract

The processes of attentional control and executive function are critical for navigating and operating efficiently in everyday life, and deficits in these core processes have serious consequences. Despite a long history of research into these topics, much is still unknown about the brain mechanisms supporting these processes. This special issue of Cognitive Neuroscience: Current Debates, Research & Reports presents nine new empirical papers investigating the dynamic neural mechanisms of attentional selection, working memory, and executive control. The papers in this special issue utilize electrophysiological and neuroimaging methods, along with advanced analysis techniques, to identify the neural substrates and dynamic mechanisms underlying the orienting and shifting of attention, as well as the representation and maintenance of information in working memory. These articles inform theories of attentional selection by providing a deeper understanding of social influences on the allocation of attention as well as illuminating the role of selection history in biasing neural activity and behavior. Finally, the research presented here has broader impacts on the field of cognitive neuroscience, as results from studies investigating the coupling between bands of oscillatory neural activity provide exciting new insights into the coordination between widespread brain networks.