A microworld simulation of dynamic cognition as a test of executive function

Introduction: The lack of consensus regarding the nature or composition of executive functioning (EF) has led to a proliferation of executive tasks to assess the concept. Many do agree however that the theoretical concept of EF is a holistic one, leading us to consider whether it would be beneficial to assess EF in a more holistic manner. We explore how well a computerized simulation of dynamic cognition–that reproduces the context of real-world complex decision-making–can predict performance on nine classical neuropsychological tasks of EF. Methods: A sample of 121 participants completed all tasks, and canonical correlations were used to assess the nine tasks as predictors of the three simulation performance metrics to evaluate the multivariate-shared relationship between the two variable sets: executive functions and dynamic cognition. Results: Results show that a substantial amount of variance in two indices of dynamic cognition can be explained by a linear combination of three key types of neuropsychological tasks (planning, inhibition, working memory), with a larger contribution from the planning tasks. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that tasks of dynamic cognition could augment traditional, separate tests of EF, offering benefits in terms of parsimony, ecological validity, sensitivity, and computerized delivery.