Components Of Executive Function Research Articles

Multilingualism impacts children's executive function and core autism symptoms.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with marked heterogeneity in executive function (EF) abilities. EF components including inhibition and shifting are related to ASD core symptoms such as perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behavior. Recent research suggests that multilingualism may have a beneficial impact on EF abilities, especially in children with ASD. However, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the relationships between multilingualism, EF, and core symptoms in children with ASD. Here, we examined these associations in 7-12-year-old children with and without ASD (N = 116; 53 ASD, Mean age = 9.94 years). Results suggest that multilingual children have stronger parent-reported inhibition, shifting, and perspective-taking skills than monolingual children. Furthermore, we found a significant interaction between diagnosis and multilingual status on inhibition, such that the effects of multilingualism were stronger for children with ASD than typically developing (TD) children. Finally, we found indirect effects of multilingualism on perspective taking, social communication, and repetitive behaviors mediated by EF skills. These results demonstrate the supportive influences multilingual experience might have on bolstering EF and reducing ASD-related symptoms.

Effects of Frontal-Midline Theta Neurofeedback with Different Training Directions on Goal-Directed Attentional Control.

As a significant component of executive function, goal-directed attentional control is crucial for cognitive processing and is closely linked to frontal-midline theta (FMT) rhythms. However, how up-regulation and down-regulation of FMT through neurofeedback training (NFT) impact goal-directed attention control remains unclear, especially for both short-term and long-lasting effects. Therefore, this study employed a single-blind sham-controlled between-subject design to answer this question. Forty-seven healthy adults were randomly assigned to the up-regulation, down-regulation, or sham control groups. Each group underwent one NFT session per day at the Fz electrode site for four consecutive days. All participants completed a visual search task before, immediately after the first, after the final, and one week following the last NFT session. The down-regulation group significantly reduced FMT activity during NFT and in the resting state (p < = 0.038), while the up-regulation group only showed an upward trend during the training phase (r = 0.721, p = 0.002). The behavioral performance showed no significant improvement in any group (p > 0.05). Importantly, the FMT learning efficacy in the up-regulation group revealed a significantly negative correlation with the change in switch cost (r = -0.602, p = 0.046). These findings suggest a close link between the up-regulation efficacy of FMT rhythms and goal-directed attentional control. In educational or clinical settings, it would be desirable to improve goal-directed attention through enhancement of FMT up-regulation efficacy of NFT in future work.

Prenatal risk factors for child executive function at 3–5 years of age: the roles of maternal mood, substance use, and socioeconomic adversity in a prospective cohort study

BackgroundA growing body of literature links prenatal mood and substance use to children's cognitive and behavioral development. The relative contribution of these risk factors on children's executive function (EF) in the context of socioeconomic adversities needs further evaluation. To address this gap, we investigated the role of prenatal maternal anxiety and depression on childhood EF, specifically inhibitory control and working memory, within the context of socioeconomic adversities and prenatal substance use. We hypothesized that higher maternal mood symptoms, higher persistent prenatal drinking and smoking, and lower socioeconomic status would be associated with lower EF skills during early childhood.MethodsWe used data from 334 mother–child dyads followed prospectively through pregnancy and the offspring’s childhood. Prenatal maternal depression and anxiety were assessed via standardized questionnaires. Prenatal alcohol and tobacco consumption were assessed via a timeline follow-back interview. The EF touch battery assessed child inhibitory control and working memory at 3–5 years of age (4.76 ± 0.58 years, 171 females). Separate linear regression models were used to estimate the association of prenatal tobacco, alcohol, anxiety, and depression exposure with our two components of child EF, inhibitory control and working memory, while adjusting for gestational age, sex, and age at assessment. The following variables were also included as covariates: maternal educational achievement, employment status, parity, and household crowding index.ResultsChildren of mothers with high trait anxiety scores had reduced inhibitory control compared to children of mothers without trait anxiety or depression (β = -0.12, 95% CI:-0.22,-0.01). Children of mothers in the moderate to high continuous smoking group showed lower inhibitory control (β = − 0.19, 95% CI:-0.38,-0.01) compared to children of mothers in the none smoking group. Additionally, lower maternal education and higher household crowding were each associated with reduced inhibitory control. We found no significant association between prenatal maternal depression, anxiety, or socioeconomic factors with working memory.ConclusionsThese results underscore the need for comprehensive context-specific intervention packages, including mental health support for women to promote healthy inhibitory control development in children.

Exploring Working Memory in Context Sensitivity

ABSTRACT Context sensitivity refers to the ability to identify cues regarding the nature of stressor situations. This skill is a necessary precursor to successful emotion regulation and may involve detecting the presence or absence of stressor cues. Previous research has suggested that context sensitivity relies in part on working memory (WM), one component of cognitive control or executive functioning. We explored this potential relationship in an empirical study (N = 112) that assessed WM via WAIS-IV Digit Span as well as the ability to detect the presence or absence of stressor cues via the Context Sensitivity Index. Results demonstrated that detection of both cue presence and absence were significantly associated with the ability to apply semantic knowledge to information held in WM. Our findings expand upon a potential cognitive mechanism for context sensitivity.

Is monitoring in executive functions related to metacognitive monitoring?

Executive functions (EF) and metacognition (MC) have so far been investigated separately, yet, on the theoretical level, they share commonalities. It remains unclear whether these skills correlate in young children, and more importantly, whether monitoring processes within each may be associated. Here, we tested 6- to 8-year-old children's (N = 312) EF with the Hearts and Flowers task and MC with a paired associates memory task and focused on monitoring as a potential associated process. We examined children's accuracy and reaction time (RT) in the Hearts and Flowers task, as well as their post-error slowing as an indicator of monitoring. We measured children's accuracy and the latency of their confidence judgments for their answers in the paired associates task as an indicator of explicit and implicit metacognitive monitoring, respectively. Results showed that, for both inhibition and shifting components of EF, there was a significant positive correlation between children's RT in the Hearts and Flowers and the latency of memory monitoring judgments. That is, children who were faster in self-evaluations of their memory performance (i.e., metacognitive monitoring) were also faster in executive functioning. Evidence for the relationship between accuracy in the Hearts and Flowers task and memory monitoring was inconclusive. Post-error slowing was not associated with any measure of memory monitoring. Together, these findings suggest that EF and memory monitoring are rather weakly associated in 6- to 8-year-old children although both can be considered as higher-order cognitive processes. Although children show indications of monitoring within both EF and MC, monitoring is unlikely to explain their link.

People with HIV exhibit spectrally distinct patterns of rhythmic cortical activity serving cognitive flexibility

Despite effective antiretroviral therapy, cognitive impairment remains prevalent among people with HIV (PWH) and decrements in executive function are particularly prominent. One component of executive function is cognitive flexibility, which integrates a variety of executive functions to dynamically adapt one's behavior in response to changing contextual demands. Though substantial work has illuminated HIV-related aberrations in brain function, it remains unclear how the neural oscillatory dynamics serving cognitive flexibility are affected by HIV-related alterations in neural functioning. Herein, 149 participants (PWH: 74; seronegative controls: 75) between the ages of 29–76 years completed a perceptual feature matching task that probes cognitive flexibility during high-density magnetoencephalography (MEG). Neural responses were decomposed into the time-frequency domain and significant oscillatory responses in the theta (4–8 Hz), alpha (10–16 Hz), and gamma (74–98 Hz) spectral windows were imaged using a beamforming approach. Whole-brain voxel-wise comparisons were then conducted on these dynamic functional maps to identify HIV-related differences in the neural oscillatory dynamics supporting cognitive flexibility. Our findings indicated group differences in alpha oscillatory activity in the cingulo-opercular cortices, and differences in gamma activity were found in the cerebellum. Across all participants, alpha and gamma activity in these regions were associated with performance on the cognitive flexibility task. Further, PWH who had been treated with antiretroviral therapy for a longer duration and those with higher current CD4 counts had alpha responses that more closely resembled those of seronegative controls, suggesting that optimal clinical management of HIV infection is associated with preserved neural dynamics supporting cognitive flexibility.

Adolescent Executive Function Measurements in Indonesia : Systematic Review and Implications in Educational Settings

This study examines the landscape of executive function (EF) assessments for Indonesian adolescents, focusing on their psychometric properties. The adolescent development phase, marked by cognitive growth, presents opportunities and risks, especially in education settings where well-developed EF is beneficial. This research used a qualitative approach, with a systematic literature review method using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis), analyzing peer-reviewed empirical studies from databases such as SCOPUS and others, focusing on EF measurements for adolescents in Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, highlighting tools like the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)-Indonesian version, Executive Skills Questionnaire-Revised (ESQ-R), Executive Function Questionnaire (EFQ), and performance-based measures like the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Stroop Test. Using content analysis, this study reveals that while the BRIEF is widely used in clinical studies, its applicability in educational settings requires improvement. The findings highlight the importance of adapting EF tools with cultural sensitivity and developing new comprehensive assessments with clear psychometric properties regarding all critical EF components. In recommendations, the study pinpoints a multi-method approach combining inventory-based and performance-based measures to provide a thorough understanding of EF while maintaining practicality for educational settings. The implications for advancing EF research and practice in Indonesia, particularly in education, are discussed, emphasizing the need for reliable, valid, culturally sensitive, and accessible assessment tools.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Inhibition, Working Memory and Cognitive Flexibility on Reading Comprehension of Narrative and Expository Texts: Same or Different Effects?

Reading skills are essential adaptive skills for daily life, enabling individuals to function effectively in society. This study examines the relations between executive functions components - including inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility - and reading comprehension in both narrative and expository texts. A total of 263 fourth grade elementary school students participated in this study, who were evaluated on their reading comprehension skills, as well as on their executive functions and reading variables such as word reading, fluency and vocabulary. The results of this study suggest that inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility have direct and indirect effects on reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts. Especially, the direct effect of working memory is highlighted, both for reading comprehension of expository and narrative texts. Additionally, academic vocabulary is an important mediating variable between executive functions, especially inhibition, and reading comprehension in students of this age. These findings underscore the relevance of strengthening executive functions to improve reading comprehension, especially in middle school students.

B - 122 A Preliminary Analysis of the Neuropsychological Evaluation of the UPSA (NEUPSA)

Abstract Objective The UCSD Performance Skills Assessment (UPSA) is a well-established performance instrument created to evaluate functional outcomes. We applied a neuropsychological framework to the UPSA and created the Neuropsychological Evaluation of the UPSA (NEUPSA), assessing the cognitive processes that underlie the functional tasks in the UPSA. The study aimed to compare the executive function and attention components of the NEUPSA with a validated computerized cognitive assessment. Methods Participants were 86 adults drawn from the San Diego community. Participants completed the UPSA, 5 Choice CPT (5CCPT) which evaluates attention by calculating a d-prime score that assesses sustained attention, and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) which assesses risky decision making. We employed a Spearman’s correlation analysis with a 95% confidence interval to assess the strength of the relationship between NEUPSA attention scores and 5CCPT and IGT performance. Results NEUPSA subscores were significantly correlated with performance on computerized cognitive assessments. 5CCPT scores were positively correlated with NEUPSA attention scores (r = 0.24, p = 0.03). IGT scores were positively correlated with NEUPSA executive functioning scores (r = 0.23, p = 0.04). Conclusion These findings provide preliminary evidence that the NEUPSA assesses aspects of attention (i.e., sustained attention) and executive function (i.e., risky decision making). Further research, however, needs to be conducted on the validity of this measure and the utility in assessing neuropsychological function in clinical populations. Next steps include assessing NEUPSA performance in various non-healthy comparison populations. In this study, we emphasize the fundamental cognitive principles necessary for performance, offering a promising avenue for comprehending impaired functioning.

The association between school bullying and executive functions in children and adolescents: A three-level meta-analysis.

Even though existing amounts of results have shown that school bullying could be related to the main components of executive functions (EFs) (inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility), research focused on this association yields inconsistent results. To address this research gap, the current study conducted a three-level meta-analysis approach and simultaneously considered the two perspectives of the bully and victim to clarify the relationship between school bullying experienced by children and EFs. It also explored the moderating variables that affect the relationship between school bullying and EFs. Based on 18 studies reporting 73 effect sizes (N = 21,725), the results revealed that the overall effect size for the association between both the bullies and victims of school bullying incidents with EFs (rbullies = -0.154, p < .05; rvictims = -0.187, p < .001). Moderator analyses revealed that the negative correlation between bullies of school bullying and EFs was moderated by EF components, but it was not affected by gender, age, and the EF measurement method. Moreover, the negative correlation between victims of school bullying and EFs was not affected by the form of bullying, source of report, facet of EFs, EF measurement, gender, age, and culture. The present meta-analysis revealed a relationship between school bullying and EFs. Both bullies and victims appear to have lower EF levels. The results also emphasized that lower inhibitory control was more likely to be a crucial risk factor for bullying behavior.

Preadolescents' executive functions and resilience development: A cascade model of resilience resources and resilient functioning.

Executive functions (EF), encompassing inhibition, updating, and shifting, are widely acknowledged as cognitive factors that promote resilience. However, prior research examining the association between EF and resilience has been hampered by inconsistent conceptualizations of resilience and an overreliance on cross-sectional designs. We embraced a process-oriented conceptualization of resilience and employed a longitudinal approach to investigate how EF components interplay with the dynamic processes of resilience resources and resilient functioning. A total of 144 Chinese preadolescents (aged 10-12, 53.5% male) completed computer-based EF assessments at baseline and self-reported their resilience at three intervals during 2019-2020. The resilience evaluations encompassed resilience resources at individual, familial, and social levels, as measured by the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents, and resilient functioning, operationalized as the residuals of socioemotional difficulties after accounting for stressful life events. The findings emphasized the dynamic nature of resilience, unveiling a developmental cascade from resilience resources to resilient functioning and back to resilience resources. Furthermore, distinct effects of EF components on resilience development were found. Specifically, inhibition was associated with both concurrent and long-term resilience resources and functioning, while updating predicted long-term resilience resources, and shifting predicted long-term resilient functioning. These results underscored the pivotal role of EF as a cognitive foundation in comprehending the dynamic resilience processes during preadolescence.

Language and executive functions in patients with transcortical motor aphasia and Broca’s aphasia

ABSTRACT This study investigated language and executive functions (EF) in people with transcortical motor aphasia (TMA) and Broca’s aphasia (BA). Participants included 19 patients with TMA, 19 patients with BA, and 25 healthy controls. Verbal Fluency tests, Stroop tests and Trail-Making tests were administered to all participants, and the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (BDAE) was administered to participants with aphasia. Results showed that (1) both groups of patients with aphasia had poorer performance on Verbal Fluency tests, Stroop tests and Trail-Making tests than healthy controls; (2) participants with BA had superior performance on Stroop tests and Trail-Making tests, but not on Verbal Fluency tests, than participants with TMA, and (2) the performance on Verbal Fluency tests, Stroop tests and Trail-Making was significantly correlated with the performance on BDAE for participants with TMA, but not for participants with BA. These results suggest that EF deficits are present in both patients with TMA and those with BA. They also show that the relationship between EF deficits and language impairments in people with aphasia might depend on the type of aphasia, aspects of language, and the components of EF measured.

Comparison of executive functions in Russian and Japanese preschoolers.

This study analyzed differences in level of main executive function (EF) components (such as inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) among Russian and Japanese preschoolers. The study involved 102 children of 5-6.9 years old: 51 child from Russia and 51 child from Japan. Out of 102 children 48 were boys and 54 girls. It was found that the cognitive flexibility level in Russian children is higher and inhibition level is lower than in Japanese children. The results of the boys' EF comparison showed that boys from Russia have lower cognitive and physical inhibition levels than boys from Japan. Also it was shown that cognitive flexibility in Russian girls is significantly higher and cognitive inhibition is lower than in Japanese girls. The results obtained are discussed from the point of view of possible cultural differences in the two countries studied, which are manifested in the expectations of adults from children.

Executive functions and divergent thinking in young adults: Evidence from individual differences and cognitive training studies

The interplay between executive functions and divergent thinking remains a debated question in creativity research. To address this issue, two studies were conducted from different perspectives. The first study explored which of the executive functioning components—namely working memory, inhibition, and shifting—predicted divergent thinking. A sample of 203 college students performed a battery of tasks assessing divergent thinking, executive functions, and related cognitive variables (fluid intelligence, verbal fluency, and processing speed). After statistically controlling for these variables, only working memory emerged as a significant predictor of creativity scores in the Alternative Uses Task, while inhibition and shifting did not. In the second study, a cognitive training approach was employed to further elucidate the potential efficacy of working memory training in fostering divergent thinking. The results found that the experimental group, which received a 15-day dual n-back task training, demonstrated greater improvements in the creativity score of the Alternative Uses Task compared to the control group, suggesting a transfer effect from working memory training to divergent thinking. This research underscores the plasticity of divergent thinking and highlights a plausible avenue for enhancing creativity through targeted cognitive training.

Decoding Cognitive Control and Cognitive Flexibility as Concomitants for Experiential Avoidance in Social Anxiety.

Background and objectives: Avoidance is regarded as a central hallmark of social anxiety. Experiential avoidance is perilous for social anxiety, specifically among university students (young adults). Additionally, cognitive control and cognitive flexibility are crucial components of executive functions for a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle. The current research is a modest attempt to understand how cognitive flexibility and cognitive control affect the emergence of experiential avoidance in social anxiety in young adults. Methods: Using an ex-post facto design, the Social Phobia Inventory was employed to screen university students with social anxiety based on which one hundred and ninety-five were identified. Thereafter, participants completed the standardized measures on experiential avoidance, cognitive control and cognitive flexibility. Results: A stepwise multiple regression analysis was computed wherein the cognitive control predicts an amount of 5% of variance towards experiential avoidance, whereas a 10% of additional variance has been contributed by cognitive flexibility. Interpretation and Conclusions: The statistical outcome indicated that cognitive control is positively associated with experiential avoidance which is a negative correlate to cognitive flexibility among university students. Both also emerged as significant predictors of experiential avoidance and add a cumulative variance of 15% towards the same. This conclusion supports the need for improved and efficient management techniques in counseling and clinical settings.

Association between the performance of executive function and the remission of depressive state after clinical treatment in patients with depression

BackgroundPrevious studies have reported that patients with depression have significant cognitive impairment. The aim of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the impairment of executive functions in patients with depression and whether the cognitive behavior performance of executive function is association with remission of depressive state after clinical treatment. MethodsWe used cognitive-behavioral test to evaluate the performance of executive functions of 95 inpatients with depression before hospitalization and conducted two follow-up evaluations of their depression status on the 15th day of hospitalization and approximately 9 months after discharge. ResultsThe performance of executive function except the accuracy of inhibition control in patients with depression were significantly worse than that of healthy controls. Multivariate linear regression analysis found that the reaction time of working memory not only had a significant linear relationship with the baseline depression scores of patients with depression, but also had a significant linear relationship with the reduced depression scores after two follow-up visits. LimitationsWe only used cognitive-behavioral data as indicators to evaluate the cognitive performances of participants and only measured three components of executive function. ConclusionsThe reaction time of working memory was a stable and effective predictor of symptom relief in patients with depression after clinical treatment. These results provide initial evidence for working memory to predict the clinical prognosis of inpatients with depression prospectively, which could be further leveraged to improve intervention approaches and analyze the heterogeneity of depression.

A 10-min reduction in cerebral blood flow does not alter post-intervention executive function: evidence from lower-body negative pressure.

A single bout of exercise as well as exposure to a hypercapnic environment increases cerebral blood flow (CBF) and is an adaptation linked to a post-intervention executive function (EF) benefit. In the present investigation we sought to determine whether a transient reduction in CBF impairs EF. Accordingly, we employed 10-min -30 mmHg and -50 mmHg lower-body negative pressure (LBNP) interventions as well as a non-LBNP control condition. LBNP was employed because it sequesters blood in the lower legs and safely and reliably decreases CBF. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound was used to measure middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv) to estimate CBF prior to and during LBNP conditions. As well, assessments of the inhibitory control component of EF (i.e., antipointing) were completed prior to (pre-) and immediately after (i.e., post-) each condition. Antipointing requires that an individual reach mirror-symmetrical to an exogenously presented target and is a task providing the resolution to detect subtle EF changes. Results showed that LBNP produced a 14% reduction in MCAv; however, null hypothesis, equivalence and Bayesian contrasts indicated that antipointing metrics did not vary from pre- to post-intervention, and LBNP-based changes in MCAv magnitude were not reliably correlated with antipointing planning times. Hence, a 10-min reduction in CBF did not impact the efficiency or effectiveness of an inhibitory control measure of EF.

The influence of open-skill and closed-skill sports on executive functions: a systematic review

Aims/Background Open-skill sports are reportedly more effective than closed-skill sports in improving executive functions. However, it remains unclear as to its superiority in specific components of executive functions and specific populations. This review aims to explore the degree to which specific components of executive functions are affected by different sport types, open-skill sports and closed-skill sports, among different age groups. Methods Relevant articles published from 1st January 2000 to 31st December 2023 were searched and obtained from four databases, namely EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct. These studies were selected through a carefully established article-filtering workflow, governed by a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality assessment was carried out independently by each researcher. Results Out of the 30 studies included for this systematic review, eight studies demonstrated the beneficial impacts of open-skill sports on adults by improving three executive functions subcomponents, as compared with closed-skill sports. Six studies found that open-skill sports are conducive to inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility among children and adolescents, while four studies showed that open-skill sports greatly enhance inhibitory control in elderly individuals. Conclusion Compared with closed-skill sports, open-skill sports have a favourable impact on inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility in children, adolescents, and adults, marked by shorter response time in inhibitory control tasks, as well as shorter response time and lower switch costs in cognitive flexibility tasks. In addition, relative to closed-skill sports, open-skill sports heightens accuracy in working memory tasks among adults.

A - 46 Putting Together “Puzzle Pieces” of the Game: Executive Functions in Athletes with Sports-Related Concussion History

Abstract Purpose While previous quantitative research has explored the malleability of executive functions in sports, there’s a gap in understanding athletes’ descriptions and utilization of executive functions during gameplay. Understanding these processes from athletes’ perspectives is crucial for developing relevant assessments, particularly following sports-related concussion (SRC), as well as using accessible athlete-driven language to describing executive function in sports neuropsychology. Thus, our study aimed to explore how athletes deploy executive functions during games and identify the most crucial executive function components for success. Method 19 Canadian collegiate athletes (ages 18–25; 37% female) with a history of SRC across various sports (soccer, volleyball, rugby, and basketball) were recruited. Participants completed semi-structured interviews via Zoom with a focus on identifying their executive function processes in their respective sports. Thematic analysis, following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) approach, was used to analyze the interview transcripts. Results We generated three themes: 1) Planning, organizing, and deciding action before actively involved in the play; 2) Problem solving when the contingencies for the pre-planned play changes; 3) Processing and evaluating performance immediately after a play. Conclusions These results provide nuance to our understanding of executive functions in sport by gaining insight into how athletes think while playing, information that neither tasks nor questionnaires offer. Through qualitative interviews, we discovered athletes engage in various executive processes throughout the game, including strategic planning and problem-solving. Overall, this study highlights specific executive processes employed throughout a game, which may become areas of focus for assessment, interventions, and follow-up for athletes following SRC.

It’s about time: mitigating cancer-related cognitive impairments through findings from computational models of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task

BackgroundMany cancer survivors experience cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), often with significant negative consequences across various life domains. Emerging evidence suggests that allowing additional time to process information before acting may be a useful strategy for those with CRCI to mitigate some of its impacts. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST), a measure of general cognition, has shown that for some cancer survivors, longer task completion time facilitates similar task performance outcomes to control populations concerning perseveration errors; a key performance metric of the WCST. However, assessing if this strategy may be useful, as well as determining for whom it may be useful, with regard to strengths and weaknesses among select cognitive domains, is challenging due to factors such as the problem of task impurity. Accordingly, this study provides an initial computational and experimental assessment of whether additional time to process information before acting is a useful strategy for those with CRCI.MethodsWe simulated individual cognitive differences observed in humans by varying contributions of executive functioning components (updating, shifting, inhibition) to yield 48 distinct computational models of the WCST. Our main manipulation was then to provide these models with more or less time (at three levels of 20, 40 and 60 cycles) before models executed an action to sort a given card. We compared the number of perseveration errors on the WCST produced by the computational models. Additionally, we determined models that simulated the performance of cancer survivors on the WCST by comparing the number of perseveration errors produced by the models to human data.ResultsAdditional processing time resulted in the models producing significantly fewer perseveration errors, supporting our hypothesis. In addition, 8 unique models simulated the performance of cancer survivors on the WCST. Additional time appeared to have a positive influence on performance primarily by mitigating the impacts of severe inhibition impairments. For more severe global executive function impairments, a substantial amount of additional time was required to mitigate the impacts of the impairments. For the most severe impairments, additional time was unable to adequately mitigate the impact on performance.ConclusionAdditional processing time may be a useful strategy to rectify perseveration errors among cancer survivors with CRCI. Our findings have implications for the development of practical strategies, such as workload and deadline management in occupational settings, which may mitigate the negative effects of CRCI.