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Report

Caught between Osmosis and Environments: Mapping the Gap between the Expert and the Public Understandings of the Role of Executive Function

This report maps the gaps between how Americans think and experts talk about the skills and abilities that comprise the concept of executive function.
Author
Nat Kendall-Taylor , Chris McCollum, Tiffany Manuel
Published
March 16, 2020
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While developmental scientists understand the importance of proper development of executive function abilities, a notion of this concept and its constituent skills is largely absent from both the public consciousness and policy debates. This report analyzes qualitative data gathered from interviews with scientists and the general public to map the gaps between how Americans think and experts talk about the skills and abilities that comprise the concept of executive function. These gaps represent specific challenges in communicating about executive function.