executive function

noun

psychology

: the group of complex mental processes and cognitive abilities (such as working memory, impulse inhibition, and reasoning) that control the skills (such as organizing tasks, remembering details, managing time, and solving problems) required for goal-directed behavior

The biggest impacts, she says, are in enhancing what's known as executive function—the ability to perform complex tasks that rely on planning or decision making.

—Janet Raloff

also : one of these complex mental processes

But a new study reports that soccer players actually have superior executive functions, the brain processes responsible for planning and abstract thinking.

—Sindya N. Bhanoo

executive functioning noun

Measures of attention, hyperactivity, and executive functioning (the ability to process feedback, interpret life's good and bad moments, and react in an appropriate way to events) were based on reports from parents and teachers …

—David Kirby

Examples of executive function in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This explanation aligns with previous work, which has shown that prolonged exposure to stress can accelerate cognitive decline and negatively affect memory and executive function. —Darlingtina Esiaka, The Conversation, 8 May 2025

Both exercise groups tended to show less loss of brain volume over 12 months, including in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for decision-making, personality, and executive function. —Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 25 Apr. 2025

The prefrontal cortex is located at the frontal lobe of the brain and is involved in various brain functions, with executive function — the ability to self-regulate and plan ahead — being the most significant function. —Mark Joseph, Newsweek, 24 Feb. 2025

Tools like cognitive style assessments, working memory studies, and even basic brain scans have revealed how people vary in executive function, attention span, and processing speed. —Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for executive function

• adjunction
• compunction
• conjunction
• disjunction
• dysfunction
• injunction
• inunction
• malfunction
• eigenfunction
• multifunction
• heterojunction
• junction