Consider what everyday cognitive processes are being used in the following situations and click on the statements to find out more.
1.Charlotte needs to get to Edinburgh but get home again to be ready to go out for a party. She uses the timetable to select the train times that will give her enough time in Edinburgh but will get her back in time
Charlotte is using her executive function to plan her trip
2.Lewis is working hard to make sure he does not overfill the bath and is watching it so that he can turn off the taps at the right time
Lewis is keeping his attention on the bath so that he can turn off the taps when the bath has reached the right depth
3.Claire is listening to a lecture at university, but puts her hand up to inform the lecturer that he is speaking too quickly and she is not able to take the information in
Claire is struggling to process this large quantity of information and takes control bymaking the lecturer aware of this
4.Jack has just finished work and he cannot immediately think of where he parked the car. He thinks back to when he arrived that morning and can picture himself parking at the end of the lower car park
Jack is using is memory to recall where he left his car
5.Lorna does not know the name of a new staff member but works it out as she was told that the staff member has the same name as Lorna’s daughter
Lorna has used the memory of being given some information in relation to the staff members’ name
6.June knows that she will save time in her office by putting all the files she uses most on the most accessible shelf and putting infrequently used files in the bottom drawer of her filing cabinet
June is using her executive function to plan and organise her office to be more efficient
Page last reviewed: 15 Jul 2022
