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Using Information Theory And Elementary Cognitive Tasks To Formally Define Executive Functions, Octavio A. Santos

Theses and Dissertations

Executive functions (EF) are an umbrella construct in neuropsychology that have received significant attention from both clinicians and researchers in recent years. Despite the wide array of definitions of EF and lack of agreement about such constructs, there seems to be a commonality underlying their theoretical frameworks that has to do with the ability to internally regulate one's behavior. In an attempt to overcome inherent limitations to the construct of EF, the present study used elementary cognitive tasks (ECTs), based on information theory (IT) and a reaction time (RT) paradigm, to establish preliminary feasibility of ECTs to assess behavior regulated …