ABSTRACT
The term “executive functions” is a relatively new one to neuropsychology (see, for example, Baddeley & Wilson, 1986, 1988; Lezak, 1983; Stuss & Benson, 1986). It is used to describe a range of poorly defined processes which are putatively involved in activities such as “problem solving” (Levin, Goldstein, Williams, & Eisenberg, 1991), “planning” (Shallice, 1982), “initiation” of activity (Burgess & Shallice, 1996c; Shimamura, Janowsky, & Squire, 1991), “cognitive estimation” (Shallice & Evans, 1978) and “prospective memory” (e.g. Cockburn, 1995; Shimamura, 1989). Historically these processes have always been linked to the frontal lobes (e.g. Benton, 1991) and damage to them has resulted in the range of symptoms previously known as the “frontal lobe syndrome” (see Stuss & Benson, 1986, for review).
