The relationship between executive functions and flow in learning

Abstract

The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between executive functions and flow experiences in learning. Female college students assessed their flow in learning activities and performed phonemic verbal fluency task (PVF) and a lexical Stroop task. Flow in learning was associated with performance on the PVF task, but not with the lexical Stroop task. In addition, flow in learning mediated the effects of verbal fluency performance on the Grade Point Average (GPA), while inhibition and controlled selective attention measured by the lexical Stroop test had direct effects on the GPA. Results suggested that the better executive functions embodied in verbal fluency task are cognitive correlates of flow. The results are also in line with the neurobiological model of flow pointing to brain regions that are suggested to be involved in language processing and the prefrontal brain region.