ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that a number of important misconceptions underlie Parkin's criticisms, misconceptions that are likely to present problems for any approach to executive function. Parkin's criticism rests on his assumption that the central executive reflects a modular system that is coterminous with the frontal lobes. The concept of a central executive represents just one of a number of possible approaches to the analysis of executive processes. Such processes are enormously important, but are probably the most complex aspects of human cognition and, as such, are unlikely to be fully understood in the near future. Analysis of the cognitive deficit in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients suggested a central executive impairment. The central executive certainly exists, but as a concept—not as a modular organ coterminous with the frontal lobes. The chapter concludes by briefly outlining some evidence for the value of the working memory approach to executive control in terms of what it has so far achieved.
