origin of "executive" function
I'm participating at an NIA workshop on cognitive function and
aging, and the origin of the term "executive function" with regard
to cognitive function has been raised. We can trace it back to some
use by Luke Teuber in the 1950s (see Russell's response below).
Can anyone help with additional information?
Stuart Zola
* * * * *
The earliest reference I easily found was:
Semes, Josephine; Weinstein, Sudney; Ghent, Lila; Teuber, Hans-Lukas.
Spatial orientation in man after cerebral injury: I. Analyses by locus
of lesion.
Journal of Psychology, 39, 1955, 227-244.
in which the authors conclude their Summary with the sentence: "Since
the disorder is neither specific for modality nor for executive
function, it should not be described as an agnosia or apraxia."
PsycINFO gives a couple of other citations (1955: "Influences of
organization on psycholog as a science"; 1950: "An exploration into the
use of certain methods for the study of executive function in
business"), but I don't know that those are helpful.
The review which _should_ explain how the term was coined, doesn't.
Daniel Tranel (and Steven W. Anderson and Arthur Benton)'s "Development
of the concept of 'executive function' and its relationship to the
frontal lobes" (Handbook of Neuropsychology, v.9, 1988) cites precursor
concepts and 1980s and 1990s experiments to dissociate "executive" from
"frontal", but doesn't explain the source of the term (nor cite Teuber).
It appears that Semes and Teuber used the term in 1955 as though it had
already been presented, defined, and discussed elsewhere (did Hebb
introduce it?). Considering the time and Teuber's activities, you may
wish to check into the industrial & organizational psychology
literature of the day and, especially, the Macy Conferences on
Cybernetics, one of whose volumes he co-edited.
You may also wish to post a query to HISTNEUR-L and/or CHEIRON, which
would most likely elicit rapid, useful responses.
cheers,
Russell
===========================================================================
Stuart Zola, PhD Tel: 404-727-7707
Yerkes Primate Research Center Cell: 404-273-2122
Emory University Fax: 404-727-0623
Atlanta, GA 30329 Email: szola@rmy.emory.edu