Executive Functioning: Toward a Research Agenda on Higher-Level Cognitive Skills

In this paper, we propose that basic and applied research in the areas of intelligence, education, and cognition can be significantly advanced by a focus on executive functioning (EF). We present our perspective on the nature of EF, show its centrality in understanding applied cognition, and develop a research agenda that would advance the scope of theories about EF and their classroom applications. This research agenda calls for (1) basic, interdisciplinary research on the measurement of EF and how these measures relate to its biological-genetic substrates, (2) applied research that determines the best methods for supporting EF in classroom settings and home environments, and (3) theoretical research that re-examines the role that EF might play in the emergence of human intelligence. Advances in our understanding of EF have the potential to inform the assessment, diagnosis, remediation, and prevention of learning difficulties and developmental delays in ways that are potentially applicable across multiple domains and contexts.