Methodology Of Frontal And Executive Function

Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 2
Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 4
List of Contributors......Page 8
CHAPTER ONE Introduction: Methodologies and Models in the Study of Executive Function......Page 10
DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN EXECUTIVE AND NON-EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS......Page 16
The Uncertain Validity of “Executive” Tests......Page 19
EXECUTIVE AND NON-EXECUTIVE PERFORMANCE?......Page 25
A DESCRIPTIVE MODEL......Page 27
CONNECTIONIST AND PRODUCTION SYSTEM MODELS......Page 29
SCHNEIDER AND DETWEILER’S MODEL......Page 32
GENERAL ISSUES......Page 33
“EXECUTIVE TESTS” AND “INTELLIGENCE TESTS”......Page 37
REFERENCES......Page 43
INTRODUCTION......Page 47
EXPERIMENT 1......Page 52
Description of Test Battery......Page 53
Results......Page 55
Results......Page 60
Discussion......Page 61
REFERENCES......Page 65
Executive Functioning and the Frontal Lobes......Page 68
A Correlational, Factor-analytic Approach to Executive Functioning......Page 69
Testing Cognitive Models of Executive Functioning......Page 71
Experimental Neuropsychological Evidence for Executive Impairment......Page 72
The Development of a Pencil-and-paper Version of the Dual-task Paradigm......Page 73
The Memory Span Task......Page 74
Some Studies with the Pencil-and-paper Version of the Dual-task Paradigm......Page 75
Searching for a Measure of Dual-task Performance......Page 79
A Two-component Measure of Dual-Task Performance......Page 80
The Reliability of the Dual-task Performance Index......Page 82
CONCLUSION......Page 84
REFERENCES......Page 85
INTRODUCTION......Page 88
THE NATURE OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION......Page 90
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND THE PROCESS-BEHAVIOUR1 DISTINCTION......Page 91
Methodological Consequences of Low Process—Behaviour Correspondence......Page 92
“EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS” IS A THEORETICAL DEFINITION......Page 96
THE PROBLEM OF COGNITIVE CONGRUENCE......Page 97
FRACTIONATION OF THE EXECUTIVE SYSTEM?......Page 101
RECIPROCAL CAUSATION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS......Page 104
Dissociations Between Processes or Dissociations Between Operations?......Page 105
THE STUDY OF COMPLEX BEHAVIOURAL SEQUENCES......Page 106
ANALYSIS OF BEHAVIOURAL SEQUENCES WITH FEW STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS......Page 109
Single Case vs. Group Study Design......Page 114
PROBLEMS WITH MEASUREMENT OF BEHAVIOUR IN NOVEL SITUATIONS......Page 115
CONCLUSION......Page 116
REFERENCES......Page 117
CHAPTER FIVE Ageing and Executive Functions: A Neuroimaging Perspective......Page 123
Investigation of Brain—Behaviour Relationships......Page 125
Neuroimaging......Page 126
Neuropsychological Assessment......Page 130
Group Differences in Cortical and Hippocampal Atrophy in AD......Page 132
Association between CSF Volumes and Neuropsychological Performance......Page 134
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 136
REFERENCES......Page 138
CHAPTER SIX Sustained Attention and the Frontal Lobes......Page 141
NORMAL “VIGILANCE” PERFORMANCE......Page 142
FOCAL LESION STUDIES......Page 144
FUNCTIONAL IMAGING STUDIES......Page 147
CLOSED-HEAD INJURY STUDIES......Page 148
THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE FRONTAL LOBES TO SUSTAINING ATTENTION......Page 152
REFERENCES......Page 155
INTRODUCTION......Page 160
NON-MEMORY COGNITIVE TESTS......Page 161
MEMORY DEFICITS CAUSED BY FRONTAL LESIONS......Page 163
COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF LESIONS ON MEMORY AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS......Page 172
CONCLUSION......Page 176
REFERENCES......Page 177
CHAPTER EIGHT Normal Age-related Memory Loss and its Relation to Frontal Lobe Dysfunction......Page 180
ONE OR MORE FRONTAL FUNCTIONS?......Page 181
FRONTAL FUNCTION AND NORMAL AGE-RELATED MEMORY LOSS......Page 182
THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS......Page 186
FRONTAL LOBES AND MEMORY......Page 188
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT......Page 190
REFERENCES......Page 191
CHAPTER NINE Do “Frontal Tests” Measure Executive Function? Issues of Assessment and Evidence from Fluency Tests......Page 194
THEORY AND MEASUREMENT OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION......Page 195
The Dual-task Paradigm......Page 197
Frontal Lobe Tests......Page 198
FLUENCY AS A MEASURE OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION......Page 199
FLUENCY AND THE DUAL-TASK PARADIGM......Page 202
Method......Page 204
Discussion......Page 206
The Need for Novelty......Page 208
The Unpleasantness of Executive Tasks......Page 209
Psychometric Problems with Reliability and Validity......Page 210
CONCLUSIONS......Page 211
REFERENCES......Page 212
INTRODUCTION......Page 217
CANTAB BATTERIES......Page 219
NEURAL VALIDATION......Page 221
STUDIES WITH LARGE POPULATIONS OF NORMAL ELDERLY VOLUNTEERS......Page 224
PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSES......Page 229
EFFECTS OF AGEING ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION......Page 235
REFERENCES......Page 236
PURPOSES OF ASSESSMENT......Page 241
PROBLEMS WITH EXISTING TESTS......Page 243
DESCRIPTION OF THE TESTS......Page 244
PRELIMINARY RESULTS......Page 246
CONCLUSION......Page 249
REFERENCES......Page 250
Author Index......Page 253
Subject Index......Page 263