How your brain's executive function works -- and how to improve it | Sabine Doebel

Translator: Leslie Gauthier Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

Translator: Silvia Miguélez Reviewer: Servizo de Normalización Lingüística

So I have a confession to make.

Teño que confesar algo:

I only recently learned how to drive.

hai pouco tempo que aprendín a conducir.

And it was really hard.

E foi moi difícil.

Now, this wasn't an older brain thing.

Non foi por ter un cerebro máis vello.

Do you remember what it was like when you first learned how to drive?

Lembrades como foi aprender a conducir?

When every decision you made was so conscious and deliberate?

Cando tomabades cada decisión dun xeito consciente e deliberado?

I'd come home from my lessons completely wiped out mentally.

Volvía á casa das miñas leccións esgotada mentalmente.

Now, as a cognitive scientist I know that this is because I was using

Como científica cognitiva sei que era porque estaba a usar

a lot of something called executive function.

moita cantidade de algo chamado función executiva.

Executive function is our amazing ability to consciously control our thoughts,

A función executiva é a nosa incrible capacidade

de controlar conscientemente os nosos pensamentos, emocións e accións

emotions and actions

in order to achieve goals ...

para lograr obxectivos…

like learning how to drive.

como aprender a conducir.

É o que usamos cando precisamos deixar un hábito,

It's what we use when we need to break away from habit,

inhibir impulsos e planificar con antelación.

inhibit our impulses and plan ahead.

But we can see it most clearly when things go wrong.

Pero podemos velo mellor cando as cousas van mal.

Like, have you ever accidentally poured orange juice on your cereal?

Quero dicir, algunha vez botastes por erro zume de laranxa nos cereais?

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Or, ever start scrolling on Facebook

Ou cando te pos co Facebook

and suddenly realize you've missed a meeting?

e decátaste de que esqueciches unha reunión?

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Or maybe this one's more familiar:

Este igual vos soa:

Ever plan to stop at the store on the way home from work

algunha vez planeastes parar na tenda de volta do traballo,

and then drive all the way home instead on autopilot?

e conducistes directos á casa, co piloto automático?

(Laughter)

(Risas)

These things happen to everyone.

Estas cousas pásannos a todos.

And we usually call it absentmindedness,

Adoitamos chamalo distracción,

pero o que pasa realmente

but what's really happening

is we're experiencing a lapse in executive function.

é que estamos a experimentar un lapso na función executiva.

So we use executive function every day in all aspects of our lives.

Usamos a función executiva cada día, en cada aspecto das nosas vidas.

And over the past 30 years,

Nos últimos 30 anos,

researchers have found that it predicts all kinds of good things

os investigadores descubriron que predí moitas cousas boas

in childhood and beyond,

na infancia e máis aló,

like social skills, academic achievement, mental and physical health,

como habilidades sociais, logros académicos, saúde física e mental,

making money, saving money

gañar e aforrar cartos

and even staying out of jail.

e mesmo evitar a cadea.

Sounds great, doesn't it?

Soa moi ben, non si?

So it's no surprise

Por iso, non é ningunha sorpresa

that researchers like me are so interested in understanding it

que os investigadores coma min esteamos tan interesados en entendela

and figuring out ways to improve it.

e en buscar formas de mellorala.

But lately, executive function has become a huge self-improvement buzzword.

Pero ultimamente a función executiva

volveuse unha palabra de moda para a superación persoal.

People think you can improve it through brain-training iPhone apps

A xente cre que se pode mellorar con aplicacións para o móbil

and computer games,

e videoxogos de exercicio mental,

or by practicing it in a specific way, like playing chess.

ou adestrándoa dun xeito específico, como xogando ao xadrez.

And researchers are trying to train it in the lab

Os investigadores intentan adestrala no laboratorio,

in the hopes of improving it and other things related to it,

coa esperanza de mellorala e de mellorar cousas relacionadas,

like intelligence.

como a intelixencia.

Well, I'm here to tell you

Estou aquí para dicirvos

that this way of thinking about executive function is all wrong.

que este xeito de pensar sobre a función executiva é errado.

Brain training won't improve executive function in a broad sense

Os exercicios mentais non mellorarán a función executiva nun sentido amplo

because it involves exercising it in a narrow way,

porque implican exercitala de forma limitada,

outside of the real-world contexts in which we actually use it.

fóra dos contextos do mundo real nos que a empregamos realmente.

So you can master that executive function app on your phone,

Podemos dominar esa aplicación de función executiva do móbil,

but that's not going to help you stop pouring OJ on your Cheeerios twice a week.

pero iso non evitará que lle botemos zume aos cereais dúas veces por semana.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

If you really want to improve your executive function

Se queremos mellorar a nosa función executiva

in a way that matters for your life,

de forma que importe na nosa vida,

you have to understand how it's influenced by context.

debemos entender como lle inflúe o contexto.

Let me show you what I mean.

Vou mostrar o que quero dicir:

There's a great test that we use in the lab

hai unha proba, empregada no laboratorio,

to measure executive function in young children

que mide a función executiva en nenos pequenos:

called the "dimensional change card sort."

o cambio de dimensión na clasificación de tarxetas.

Nesta tarefa, os nenos clasifican as tarxetas dun xeito,

In this task, kids have to sort cards in one way --

like by shape --

como pola forma, por exemplo,

unha e outra vez ata adquirir o hábito.

over and over until they build up a habit.

And then they're asked to switch

Entón, pídeselles que cambien

e clasifiquen as mesmas tarxetas doutro xeito,

and sort the same cards in another way,

like by color.

como pola cor.

Now, really young kids struggle with this.

Aos nenos moi pequenos cústalles.

Three- and four-year-olds will usually keep sorting the cards in the old way

Os 3 e 4 anos adoitan seguir ordenando as tarxetas do xeito anterior,

no matter how many times you remind them of what they should be doing.

por moitas veces que lles lembres o que deben facer.

(Video) Woman: If it's blue, put it here. If it's red, put it here.

Muller: Se é azul, vai aquí. Se é vermello, aquí.

Aquí tes un azul.

Here's a blue one.

OK, so now we're going to play a different game.

Ben, agora imos xogar a un xogo diferente.

We're not going to play the color game anymore.

Xa non imos xogar ao xogo das cores.

Now we're going to play the shape game,

Agora xogaremos ao xogo das formas,

and in the shape game,

e, no xogo das formas,

all the stars go here and all the trucks go here, OK?

todas as estrelas van aquí e todos os camións van aquí, de acordo?

Stars go here, trucks go here.

As estrelas van aquí e os camións van aquí.

Where do the stars go?

Onde van as estrelas?

And where do the trucks go?

E os camións?

Excellent.

Moi ben.

OK, stars go here, trucks go here.

As estrelas van aquí e os camións, aquí.

Here's a truck.

Aquí tes un camión.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Stars go here, trucks go here.

As estrelas van aquí e os camións van aquí.

Here's a star.

Aquí tes unha estrela.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

SB: So it's really compelling,

SB: É realmente convincente,

and it's really obvious when she fails to use her executive function.

e moi obvio cando ela non usa a súa función executiva.

But here's the thing:

Pero aquí está o asunto:

we could train her on this task and others like it

poderiamos adestrala nesta tarefa e noutras semellantes

and eventually she'd improve,

e co tempo melloraría.

but does that mean

Entón melloraría a súa función executiva tamén fóra do laboratorio?

that she would've improved her executive function outside of the lab?

No, because in the real world, she'll need to use executive function

Non, porque no mundo real terá que usar a función executiva

to do a lot more than switching between shape and color.

para moito máis que pasar de forma a cor.

She'll need to switch from adding to multiplying

Terá que pasar de sumar a multiplicar,

or from playing to tidying up

ou de xogar a recoller,

or from thinking about her own feelings to thinking about her friend.

ou de pensar nos seus sentimentos a pensar na súa amiga.

And success in real-world situations depends on things

O éxito nas situacións do mundo real depende de cousas

like how motivated you are and what your peers are doing.

como a motivación e o que fagan os nosos compañeiros.

And it also depends on the strategies that you execute

Tamén depende das estratexias que executemos

when you're using executive function in a particular situation.

cando usamos a función executiva nunha situación en particular.

So what I'm saying is that context really matters.

O que estou a dicir é que o contexto é moi importante.

Now let me give you an example from my research.

Agora dareivos un exemplo da miña investigación.

Hai pouco, trouxen un grupo de nenos para facer a proba do malvarisco,

I recently brought in a bunch of kids to do the classic marshmallow test,

which is a measure of delay of gratification

que é unha medida do atraso da gratificación,

that also likely requires a lot of executive function.

que probablemente tamén require moita función executiva.

So you may have heard about this test,

Igual xa coñecedes esta proba, pero, en resumo, os nenos poden elixir

but basically, kids are given a choice.

They can have one marshmallow right away,

entre comer un malvarisco xa

or if they can wait for me to go to the other room

ou esperar a que eu vaia ao outro cuarto

and get more marshmallows,

e traia máis malvariscos,

they can have two instead.

e entón poden comer dous.

Now, most kids really want that second marshmallow,

A maioría dos nenos devecen por ese segundo malvarisco,

but the key question is: How long can they wait?

pero a pregunta clave aquí é: canto tempo poden esperar?

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Now, I added a twist to look at the effects of context.

Eu engadín algo máis para ver os efectos do contexto.

I told each kid that they were in a group,

Díxenlle a cada neno que estaban nun grupo,

like the green group,

como o grupo verde;

and I even gave them a green T-shirt to wear.

ata lles din unha camiseta verde.

And I said, "Your group waited for two marshmallows,

E dixen: “O voso grupo esperou polos dous malvariscos

and this other group, the orange group,

e este outro grupo, o laranxa,

did not."

non o fixo.”

Or I said the opposite:

Ou dixen o contrario:

"Your group didn't wait for two marshmallows

“O voso grupo non esperou polos dous malvariscos

and this other group did."

e este outro grupo si.”

And then I left the kid alone in the room

Entón, deixaba ao neno só no cuarto

and I watched on a webcam to see how long they waited.

e observaba pola webcam para ver canto tempo esperaban.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

So what I found was that kids who believed

O que descubrín foi que os nenos que crían

that their group waited for two marshmallows

que o seu grupo agardara polos malvariscos

were themselves more likely to wait.

eran máis propensos a esperar.

So they were influenced by a peer group that they'd never even met.

Un grupo de compañeiros que non coñecían influenciounos.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Pretty cool, isn't it?

Xenial, non si?

Well, so with this result I still didn't know

Ben, pois con este resultado seguía sen saber

if they were just copying their group or if it was something deeper than that.

se só estaban copiando o grupo ou se había algo máis profundo,

So I brought in some more kids,

así que trouxen máis nenos,

and after the marshmallow test, I showed them pictures of pairs of kids,

e, despois da proba do malvarisco, mostreilles fotos de parellas de nenos

and I told them, "One of these kids likes to have things right away,

e díxenlles: “A un destes nenos gústalle ter as cousas no momento,

like cookies and stickers.

como galletas e adhesivos,

And the other kid likes to wait

e ao outro gústalle esperar

so that they can have more of these things."

para poder ter aínda máis destas cousas.”

And then I asked them,

Entón pregunteilles:

“Cal destes dous nenos che gusta máis?

"Which one of these two kids do you like more

and who would you want to play with?"

Con cal deles che gustaría xogar?”

And what I found was that kids who believed that their group waited

Resultou que os nenos que crían que o seu grupo esperara

tended to prefer other kids who liked to wait for things.

adoitaban preferir outros nenos aos que lles gustara esperar polas cousas.

So learning what their group did made them value waiting more.

Ao saber o que fixera o seu grupo valoraron esperar máis tempo.

And not only that,

E non só iso:

these kids likely used executive function

estes nenos probablemente usaron a función executiva

to generate strategies to help themselves wait,

para xerar estratexias para axudarse na espera,

like sitting on their hands or turning away from the marshmallow

como sentar nas mans. afastarse do malvarisco

or singing a song to distract themselves.

ou cantar unha canción para distraerse.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

So what this all shows is just how much context matters.

O que amosa todo isto é o moito que importa o contexto.

It's not that these kids had good executive function or bad,

Non é que estes nenos tivesen unha función executiva boa ou mala,

it's that the context helped them use it better.

é que o contexto axudoulles a utilizala mellor.

So what does this mean for you and for your kids?

Entón, que significa iso para vós e para os vosos fillos?

Well, let's say that you want to learn Spanish.

Digamos que queredes aprender castelán.

You could try changing your context

Podedes probar a cambiar o contexto,

and surrounding yourself with other people who also want to learn,

a rodearvos doutras persoas que tamén queiran aprender,

and even better if these are people that you really like.

e aínda mellor se son persoas que vos gustan moito.

That way you'll be more motivated to use executive function.

Deste xeito, teredes máis motivación para usar a función executiva.

Or let's say that you want to help your child do better on her math homework.

Digamos que queredes axudar a vosa filla a mellorar nos deberes de matemáticas.

You could teach her strategies to use executive function

Poderiades ensinarlle estratexias para usar a función executiva

in that particular context,

nese contexto en particular,

like putting her phone away before she starts studying

como gardar o móbil antes de comezar a estudar

or planning to reward herself after studying for an hour.

ou pensar unha recompensa para despois de estudar unha hora.

Now, I don't want to make it sound like context is everything.

Aínda así, non pensedes que o contexto é o único que importa.

Executive function is really complex, and it's shaped by numerous factors.

A función executiva é moi complexa e inflúen moitos factores.

But what I want you to remember

Pero o que quero que lembredes

is if you want to improve your executive function

é que, se buscades mellorar a vosa función executiva,

in some aspect of your life,

nalgún aspecto da vosa vida,

don't look for quick fixes.

non busquedes solucións rápidas.

Pensade no contexto,

Think about the context

and how you can make your goals matter more to you,

en como facer que as vosas metas vos importen máis

and how you can use strategies

e en como podedes usar estratexias que vos axuden nesas situacións.

to help yourself in that particular situation.

I think the ancient Greeks said it best when they said, "Know thyself."

Creo que os antigos gregos dixérono mellor: “Coñécete a ti mesmo.”

And a key part of this is knowing how context shapes your behavior

A clave disto é que saibamos como o contexto moldea o comportamento

and how you can use that knowledge to change for the better.

e como podemos usar ese coñecemento para mellorar.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)