高考真题中的心理学——什么叫“执行功能”?

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What is executive function?

Executive function refers to mental processes (executive functioning skills) that help you set and carry out goals. You use these skills to solve problems, make plans and manage emotions. Research suggests strong executive functioning skills make a difference in your mental and physical health and quality of life. Poor skills can affect your ability to do well in school, find and keep a job, or have strong social connections.

执行功能是指用于管理日常任务（如制定计划、解决问题及适应新情境）的技能。其三大核心能力包括工作记忆、认知灵活性及抑制控制。这些能力在个体生命周期中持续发展，通常随年龄增长而衰退。但存在维持和提升这些能力的方法。

executive

[英] /ɪɡˈzek.jə.tɪv/  

adj. connected with managing a business or an organization,and with making plans and decisions 经营管理的、决策的

Eg. His executive skills will be very useful to the company.

他的管理技能对公司将会非常有用。

carry out

to do or complete something, especially that you have said you would do or that you have been told to do

执行，贯彻，落实，完成

Eg. Dr Carter is carrying out research on early Christian art.

卡特博士正在研究早期基督教艺术。

There are three main executive functions:

Working memory.

Cognitive flexibility.

Inhibition control.

Research suggests the main executive functions develop at different times throughout your lifetime, starting in infancy. Most types of executive function become less effective as you get older.

执行功能主要包括以下三种：工作记忆、认知灵活性、抑制控制。

研究表明，主要的执行功能从婴儿期开始，在人的一生中于不同阶段逐步发展。大多数执行功能会随着年龄增长而逐渐减弱。

Working memory

You rely on working memory to make sense of information that you receive or events that happen over time. For example, say you get your news from a website that posts frequent updates. Working memory is how you integrate new information from a news update on a specific issue with what you read before to adjust how you think and feel about the issue.

Research shows that your working memory executive function develops during childhood and adolescence and reaches its peak in your early 30s. This function starts to decline after age 35 and into middle age and old age (age 65 and older).

工作记忆

你依赖工作记忆来理解所接收的信息或随时间推移发生的事件。例如，假设你从一个频繁更新新闻的网站上获取资讯。工作记忆能让你将关于某个特定事件的最新报道信息与之前读到的内容整合起来，从而调整你对这一事件的看法和感受。

integrate

 [英]/ˈɪn.tɪ.ɡreɪt/ 

 [美]/ˈɪn.t̬ə.ɡreɪt/

v. to combine two or more things in order to become more effective

使合并，使成为一体

Eg. You need to integrate exercise into your normal life.

你必须让锻炼成为你日常生活的一部分。

adolescence

[英]/ˌæd.əˈles.əns/  

[美]/ˌæd.əˈles.əns/

the period of time in a person's life when they are developing into an adult

青春期;青春

Eg. She had a troubled adolescence.

她经历了坎坷的青春。

Cognitive flexibility

Cognitive flexibility comes into play when you need to adapt to change, whether that’s your personal situation or a change in your environment.

You show cognitive flexibility when you’re able to smoothly shift gears between tasks, thought processes and situations. You use cognitive flexibility when you multitask — for example, answering a colleague’s question while writing an email.

You’re also using cognitive flexibility when you use empathy — like thinking about an issue from another person’s perspective. Likewise, you use this executive function skill to change course when you must solve a problem and realize the solution you had in mind won’t work.

Some experts believe that children start developing cognitive flexibility at age 3 and complete development at age 12. Other experts believe this executive function continues to improve up until around age 29.

认知灵活性

当你需要适应变化——无论是个人处境还是环境变化——时，认知灵活性就派上了用场。

当你能够顺畅地在不同任务、思维过程和情境之间切换时，就展现了认知灵活性。你在处理多项任务时（例如边写邮件边回答同事的问题）就会用到认知灵活性。

运用同理心时（比如从他人的角度思考问题），你也在使用认知灵活性。同样地，当你必须解决一个问题，却意识到原先想好的方案行不通时，你也会运用这项执行功能技能来改变策略。

一些专家认为，儿童从3岁开始发展认知灵活性，到12岁时完成发展。另一些专家则认为，这项执行功能会持续改善，直到29岁左右。

Inhibition control (inhibitory control)

This skill focuses on how well you control your thoughts, emotions and focus. By using inhibitory control, you’re able to manage your reactions to situations.

For example, you’d use this executive functioning skill when you focus on a conversation in a noisy office by consciously blocking (inhibiting) other conversations and noise. And if that office conversation takes a turn that makes you feel angry or anxious, inhibition control is how you resist the urge to do something you’ll later regret, like losing your temper and storming out of the office.

Research suggests inhibition control development begins in infancy and starts to decline when you reach your 60s.

抑制控制

这项技能关乎你控制自身想法、情绪和注意力的能力。通过抑制控制，你能够管理自己对各种情境的反应。

例如，在嘈杂的办公室里专注于一场对话，有意识地屏蔽（抑制）其他对话和噪音，你就运用了这项执行功能技能。而如果这场办公室对话让你感到愤怒或焦虑，抑制控制能帮你抵制冲动，避免做出事后后悔的举动，比如发脾气、怒冲冲地离开办公室。

研究表明，抑制控制的发展从婴儿期开始，到60多岁时开始衰退。

inhibitory

[英]/ɪnˈhɪb.ɪ.tər.i/  

[美]/ɪnˈhɪb.ɪ.tɔːr.i/

adj. with the effect or function of inhibiting (= stopping or slowing down) a process

有抑制作用的;有约束作用的

Eg. inhibitory neurons

有抑制作用的神经元

block

[英]/blɒk/  

[美]/blɑːk/

v. to stop something from happening or developing

阻止，阻碍

The tall tree blocks the sunlight.这棵大树挡住了阳光。