ABSTRACT
To make things concrete, consider the children’s game “Simon says”. An adult gives children instructions, such as “put your hands on your head”. The game has two rules: If the instruction is preceded by the words “Simon says”, players have to follow the instructions as quickly as possible; if the instruction is not preceded by the words “Simon says”, players must do nothing. This game illustrates several distinct executive abilities. First, children have to hold in mind the rules of the game, which requires some working memory, particularly when the game is new. They must also be able to switch behaviour according to which rule is relevant, i.e., set shifting. Typically the adult will give several “Simon says” instructions in a row, after which children will have greater difficulty inhibiting the tendency to do what was said regardless.
