Executive Function and Working Memory

Key factors for all mental tasks from academic achievement to driving a car
 

Executive Function is a cluster of high-order capacities, which include selective attention, behavioral planning and response inhibition, the manipulation of information in problem-solving tasks, and the regulation of behaviour.

A critically important part to all executive functions is your "Working Memory". Working memory is like a mental scratchpad where you temporarily store and process information required for the task at hand.

Working Memory is where you store a phone number while you dial, or process the large amount of data required to successfully negotiate a busy intersection while driving a car. It is also how you grasp the meaning of a sentence - your brain automatically holds the first part of a long sentence in working memory so it is available for processing by the time you reach the end of a sentence.

An efficient working memory is critical for encoding information to long term memory, making associations, and underlies general intelligence.

Studies have shown that training your working memory can improve a range of cognitive abilities and improve IQ scores.

Further studies have shown that working memory capacity is closely linked to academic performance in school. In children, age 7, Gathercole et al (2004) showed a close correlation between working memory capacity and English test scores. This study also establishes a close correlation between working memory capacity and mathematical ability at age 7 and 14.

Working Memory performance can be measured with computerised cognitive tasks that measue accuracy and cognitive processing speed. Poor performance on these tasks relative to your age may give the first indication of developing pathological conditions such as dementia.

The ingredients in Neurogenol® have been shown to support and enhance the underlying processes associated with an efficient working memory.

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DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this website communicates the finding of scientific research. The information is not deemed to imply any therapeutic effects and has not been evaluated by the MCA, FDA, TGA, Medsafe or other national health authorities.