Reflections on the concept of the central executive

Towse, J. N. and Houston-Price, C. M. T. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6368-142X (2001) Reflections on the concept of the central executive. In: Andrade, J. (ed.) Working memory in perspective. Psychology Press, Hove, pp325. ISBN 9780415211987

Abstract/Summary

Notes that the central executive lies at the heart of A. D. Baddeley's theory of working memory, but that what it does has been characterized in several different ways. This chapter reviews and brings together various interpretations of central executive functioning. The authors describe an experiment involving a novel cognitive task to point out the restrictive nature of the term 'executive capacity.' The chapter concludes by commenting briefly on the implications of a working memory model in which the executive does not play a major part.