The Central Executive Component of Working Memory.

Our approach to the central executive CE involves combined studies of dual task interference, frontal lobe function and general intelligence or Spearmans g. In this reporting period we have focused on dual task interference, in particular using variants of Baddeleys 1986 random generation task, thought to load the CE because of its continual requirement for novel, non- stereotyped responding. Results suggest three main conclusions. First, the CE is modality-independent, in contrast to the peripheral slave systems of working memory. Second, there is a link between CE requirements and frontal lobe functions, indicated by substantial interference between random generation and a conventional frontal task, word fluency. Third, there is some tendency for tasks with high g correlations also to show the greatest interference with random generation. Taken together, these results support the convergence of methods from experimental cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and differential psychology, to define a common CE system.