The relationship between executive functioning and verbal and visual learning and memory

• Published in: Archives of clinical neuropsychology 2005, Vol.20 (1), p.111-122
• Main Authors: Duff, Kevin, Schoenberg, Mike R., Scott, James G., Adams, Russell L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Attention; Biological and medical sciences; Canonical variates; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Discrimination Learning; Executive function; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human; Humans; Learning; Learning Disorders - diagnosis; Learning Disorders - psychology; Learning. Memory; Male; Memory; Memory Disorders - diagnosis; Memory Disorders - psychology; Memory, Short-Term; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests - statistics & numerical data; Paired-Associate Learning; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Problem Solving; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychometrics; Speech Perception; Statistics as Topic; Verbal Learning
• ISSN: 0887-6177; 1873-5843
• DOI: 10.1016/j.acn.2004.03.003

Executive functions, which include an individual’s ability to develop a response set, inhibit behaviors, plan, and reason, likely impact other areas of cognitive functioning, such as learning and memory. The present study examined the relationship between executive functioning and a wide array of standardized, clinical verbal and visual learning and memory measures in 212 patients referred for a neuropsychological evaluation. IQ was also included in the analyses. Results of the canonical correlation analyses indicated that the two cognitive domains shared 55–60% of variance, and two canonical variates were present. Although causality cannot be inferred, a clear and robust relationship between executive functioning and memory is evident, and clinicians should consider this overlap when interpreting poor performance among these two domains.