Executive function development across the life span edited by Sandra A. Wiebe, Julia Karbach.

Executive Function: Development Across the Life Span presents perspectives from leading researchers and theorists on the development of executive function from infancy to late adulthood and the factors that shape its growth and decline. Executive function is the set of higher-order cognitive processes involved in regulating attention, thoughts, and actions. Relative to other cognitive domains, its development is slow and decline begins early in late adulthood. As such, it is particularly sensitive to variations in environments and experiences, and there is growing evidence that it is susceptible to intervention – important because of its link to a wide range of important life outcomes.

The volume is made up of four sections. It begins with an overview of executive function’s typical development across the lifespan, providing a foundation for the remainder of the volume. The second section presents insights into mechanisms of executive function, as provided by a variety of methodological approaches. The third and fourth sections review the current research evidence on specific factors that shape executive function’s development, focusing on normative (e.g., bilingualism, physical activity, cognitive training) and clinically relevant (e.g., substance use, neurodegenerative disease) developmental pathways.

Table of Contents Introduction: Development and Plasticity of Executive Function across the Life Span Sandra A. Wiebe and Julia Karbach Part I: Characterizing Executive Function Development across the Life Span

1. Emergence of Executive Function in Infancy Kimberly Cuevas, Vinaya Rajan, and Lauren J. Bryant

2. Executive Function in Early and Middle Childhood Nicolas Chevalier and Caron A. C. Clark

3. Executive Function Development in Adolescence Eveline A. Crone, Sabine Peters, and Nikolaus Steinbeis

4. Executive Function Development in Aging Karen Z. H. Li, Kiran K. Vadaga, Halina Bruce, and Laurence Lai

Part II: Understanding Mechanisms of Executive Function Development and Plasticity

5. Neural Mechanisms of Executive Function Development during Early Childhood Yusuke Moriguchi

6. Aging and the Neural Correlates of Executive Function Robert West

7. Genetic Influences on Executive Functions across the Life Span James J. Li and Delanie K. Roberts

8. Computational Models of Executive Function Development Aaron T. Buss

Part III: Environmental, Cultural, and Lifestyle Factors that Shape Executive Function Development across the Life Span

9. Adversity and Stress: Implications for the Development of Executive Functions Jenna E. Finch and Jelena Obradović

10. Parental Influences on Children's Executive Function: A Differentiated Approach Claire Hughes and Rory T. Devine

11. Bilingualism and the Development of Executive Function in Children: The Interplay of Languages and Cognition Gregory J. Poarch and Janet G. van Hell

12. Physical Activity, Exercise, and Executive Functions Nicolas Berryman, Kristell Pothier, and Louis Bherer

13. Cognitive Training to Promote Executive Functions Matthias Kliegel, Alexandra Hering, Andreas Ihle, and Sascha Zuber

Part IV: Atypical Patterns of Executive Function Development across the Life Span

14. Executive Dysfunction in Very Preterm Children and Associated Brain Pathology Elisha K. Josev and Peter J. Anderson
15. Executive Functions and Developmental Psychopathology: Neurobiology of Emotion Regulation in Adolescent Depression and Anxiety Kristina L. Gelardi, Veronika Vilgis, and Amanda E. Guyer 16. Executive Function and Substance Misuse: Neurodevelopmental Vulnerabilities and Consequences of Use Monica Luciana and Emily Ewan 17. Trajectories and Modifiers of Executive Function: Normal Aging to Neurodegenerative Disease G. Peggy McFall, Shraddha Sapkota, Sherilyn Thibeau, and Roger A. Dixon

Includes bibliographical references and index.