title: A hierarchical competing systems model of the emergence and early development of executive function.
abstract: The hierarchical competing systems model (HCSM) provides a framework for understanding the emergence and early development of executive function--the cognitive processes underlying the conscious control of behavior--in the context of search for hidden objects. According to this model, behavior is determined by the joint influence of a developmentally invariant habit system and a conscious representational system that becomes increasingly influential as children develop. This article describes a computational formalization of the HCSM, reviews behavioral and computational research consistent with the model, and suggests directions for future research on the development of executive function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA. s_marcov@uncg.edu
authors.forename: Stuart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marcovitch
authors.forename: Philip David
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Zelazo
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D003423:Critical Period, Psychological; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011581:Psychological Tests