Executive functioning and intelligence
pp. 435-458
in: Sam Goldstein, Dana Princiotta, Jack A. Naglieri (eds), Handbook of intelligence, Berlin, Springer, 2015Abstract
Executive functioning and intelligence are two umbrella constructs with prominent similarities in the way each is conceptualized and measured. A key characteristic of frontal lobe syndrome post brain injury is relatively intact intellectual capacity with marked executive functioning impairment; however, accumulating research indicates a potentially more complex relationship between these two constructs than was previously suggested. This chapter examines the relationships between executive functioning and intelligence through a review of their definitions and empirical evidence. For this purpose, both psychometric studies and neurophysiologic approaches examining neurologic substrates, brain-lesioned patients and healthy controls were reviewed. Further, research examining the interactions between intelligence and executive functioning in developmental disorders is also discussed. The chapter ends with a discussion of the potential conclusions and implications that can be drawn about the relationship between these two elusive constructs.