Executive functions have recently been defined as a series of interrelated processes (planning, temporal organization of behaviour, goal anticipation, initiating activities, monitoring activities, capability to inhibit or postpone the response, response evaluation, cognitive flexibility) needed to ensure a purposeful, goal oriented behaviour. Numerous studies have suggested executive function to be connected with the frontal lobes, i.e. with the prefrontal cerebral cortex. A number of recent developmental studies of executive functions show that executive function processes have their own developmental paths; start developing and mature each at a different time. The paper plans to present different developmental paths of executive function processes and related brain changes throughout the three development periods: (1) early childhood, (2) preschool period, (3) childhood and adolescence into adulthood.

executive functions, prefrontal cortex, development