Which of the following is listed as a core component of executive control?

• A. Working memory
• B. Visual acuity
• C. Olfactory discrimination
• D. Gross motor speed

Answer: (A)

Executive control relies on the ability to hold and manipulate information to guide ongoing behavior. Working memory is the capacity to keep task-relevant information in mind and actively work with it. This lets you hold goals in the foreground, plan and sequence steps, update plans when new information comes in, and resist distractions to stay on task. That combination of maintaining representations and updating them as needed is what makes working memory the element most linked to executive control. The other options describe sensory or motor functions—visual acuity deals with sight, olfactory discrimination with smell, and gross motor speed with movement—areas not directly about maintaining and transforming information for goal-directed action.