The central executive concept and its origins

Abstract

The interest in the Central Executive grows each day in view of the observation of executive dysfunction in pathologies like TDAh. However, although references to this concept exist in the specialized literature in Brazil, there is a lack of theoretical studies about this subject. This article presents the Central Executive concept and its theoretical origins. The Central Executive is a coordinator of mental operations. The conception of this system goes back to the dichotomy between controlled and automatic processes. It was explored in Russian Psychology and, in the context of cognitive psychology, its functioning was explained in a model composed of a Supervisory Attentional System and a prescheduled organizer. Knowing the origins of the Central Executive concept may bring new ideas about its normal or pathological development.