Executive Function and Education

Executive function is an umbrella term for various cognitive processes that are
central to goal-directed behavior, thoughts, and emotions. These processes are
especially important in novel or demanding situations, which require a rapid and
flexible adjustment of behavior to the changing demands of the environment. The
development of executive function relies on the maturation of associated brain
regions as well as on stimulation in the child’s social contexts, especially the home and school. Over the past decade, the term executive function has become a buzzword in the field of education as both researchers and educators underscore the importance
of skills like goal setting, planning, and organizing in academic success. Accordingly,
in initiating this Research Topic and eBook our goal was to provide a forum for state of-the-art theoretical and empirical work on this that both facilitates communication
among researchers from diverse fields and provides a theoretically sound source of
information for educators. The contributors to this volume, who hail from several
different countries in Europe and North America, have certainly accomplished this
goal in their nuanced and cutting-edge depictions of the complex links among
various executive function components and educational success.