What Does Peer-Reviewed Research Tell Us About Executive Function Skills? (2026)
- Sean McCormick
- Feb 12, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Mar 5
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While there is a lot of talk about how important executive function skills are, what does the research tell us?
In this post, we will look at the most cited research articles on executive functioning to identify key themes and patterns.👇
Table of Contents
Mindful Movement Practices are the BEST Thing for Executive Functions
Computerized Cognitive Training Programs Actually Show Limited Evidence
ADHD is the Single Greatest Negative Impactor on School Achievement
Better Executive Function Skills Lead to Improved Quality of Life
Executive Functions are More Important for School Readiness than IQ or Entry-level Reading or Math
The Holy Grail of all studies done on executive function skills is Dr. Adele Diamond's 2012 study, "Executive Functions," a systematic mega-review of executive function interventions.
This was one of the first to review all the different ways that people have tried to improve EFs.
Since then, Dr. Diamond has continued to publish more research on her website, the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab of Adele Diamond.
Combing through the research, the most important facts that emerge from research on executive functioning are the following.👇
1. Stress impairs the executive functions
Though stress is inevitable in life, it is important to understand how it impacts executive function skills.
Research shows that ADHD symptoms may increase when stress is involved.
Even extremely mild social evaluative stress (worrying about what others might think of you or your performance) impairs the executive functions of most people.
Source: Shahab Zareyan, Haolu Zhang, Juelu Wang, Weihong Song, Elizabeth Hampson, David Abbott, Adele Diamond, First Demonstration of Double Dissociation between COMT-Met158 and COMT-Val158Cognitive Performance When Stressed and When Calmer, Cerebral Cortex, Volume 31, Issue 3, March 2021, Pages 1411–1426, https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhaa276
2. Mindful movement practices are the BEST thing for executive functions
Mindfulness practices all share characteristics of quieting the mind and body which minimizes internal and external distractions so that one stays present and attentive to individual senses and thoughts.
In an extensive study comparing the benefits of practices that impact executive function, mindfulness practices were shown to increase executive function.
We found that mindful movement practices, e.g., taekwondo & t’ai chi, show the best results for improving EFs.
Source: Diamond, A. & Ling, D. S. (2019). Review of the evidence on, and fundamental questions about, efforts to improve executive functions, including working memory. In J. Novick, M.F. Bunting, M.R. Dougherty & R. W. Engle (Eds.), Cognitive and working memory training: Perspectives from psychology, neuroscience, and human development, (pp.143-431). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
3. Computerized cognitive training programs show limited evidence for improving executive function (despite the claimed benefits)
Cognitive training programs were always outperformed by mindful movement and school programs promoting executive function skills, with computerized cognitive training programs showing fewer results than non-computerized cognitive training.
Across studies, computerized “brain training” tends to produce improvements on the specific tasks that are practiced (near transfer), but those gains rarely generalize to meaningful real-world outcomes like classroom behavior, grades, self-control, planning, or everyday organization (far transfer).
Source: Diamond, A. & Ling, D. S. (2019). Review of the evidence on, and fundamental questions about, efforts to improve executive functions, including working memory. In J. Novick, M.F. Bunting, M.R. Dougherty & R. W. Engle (Eds.), Cognitive and working memory training: Perspectives from psychology, neuroscience, and human development, (pp.143-431). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
4. ADHD is the single greatest negative impactor on school achievement
John Hattie's ground-breaking study “Visible Learning," ranked 138 influences that are related to learning outcomes from very positive effects to very negative effects.
The average effect, across all the studies he's analyzed, was 0.4. standard deviations.
This average also happens to translate, roughly, to the amount of progress a student can be expected to make in one year of school.
In his study, John Hattie found that ADHD has a -.90 effect size.
This means for students with ADHD is that they can expect to lag more than two years behind their neurotypical peers!
John Hattie updated his list of 138 effects to 150 effects in Visible Learning for Teachers (2011), and more recently to a list of 195 effects in The Applicability of Visible Learning to Higher Education (2015).
His research is now based on nearly 1200 meta-analyses – up from 800 when Visible Learning came out in 2009.
Source 2: https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/08/13/430050765/five-big-ideas-that-don-t-work-in-education
5. Executive function skills (especially working memory) predict academic success
If you’re trying to predict how a student will do in school, executive function is one of the most consistent “under-the-hood” factors to look at, because it supports how students plan, organize, stay on task, and use information in real time.
For the subjects of language and mathematics, the results of the random effects model were similar and slightly higher for mathematics (r = 0.350; r = 0.365). Thus, the theory that executive functions have greater influence on mathematical performance is supported, especially in aspects such as coding, organization, and the immediate retrieval of information.
That pattern suggests executive functions may play an especially important role in math, where students constantly have to hold steps in mind, organize information, and retrieve facts quickly while solving problems.
Source: Cortés Pascual A, Moyano Muñoz N and Quílez Robres A (2019) The Relationship Between Executive Functions and Academic Performance in Primary Education: Review and Meta-Analysis. Front. Psychol. 10:1582. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01582
6. Better executive function skills lead to improved quality of life
Executive function shows up in how well someone manages daily demands, relationships, and overall functioning.
In two large, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled ADHD trials, Brown and Landgraf found that when participants showed improvements in executive function ratings, those improvements were associated with better performance and day-to-day functioning, along with higher health-related quality of life.
In other words, as executive function improved, people tended to function better in real-world domains (not just on a test), and they reported feeling better about their overall well-being.
Source: Brown TE, Landgraf JM. Improvements in executive function correlate with enhanced performance and functioning and health-related quality of life: evidence from 2 large, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials in ADHD. Postgrad Med. 2010 Sep;122(5):42-51. doi: 10.3810/pgm.2010.09.2200. PMID: 20861587.
7. EFs are more important for school readiness than are IQ or entry-level reading or math
School readiness is as much about regulation as it is about academics.
Blair and Razza studied 141 children ages 3–5 from low-income homes and found that self-regulation skills explained differences in early academic outcomes even after controlling for general intelligence.
So it wasn’t simply “smarter kids do better.”
One executive function stood out in particular: inhibitory control.
Kids who were better able to pause, resist impulses, and stay regulated tended to show stronger early math and reading skills.
The authors’ takeaway is practical: early instruction is likely most effective when it intentionally supports self-regulation alongside early literacy and numeracy, instead of assuming academic practice alone will carry the day.
Source: Blair, C., & Razza, R. P. (2007). Relating effortful control, executive function, and false belief understanding to emerging math and literacy ability in kindergarten. Child development, 78(2), 647-663.
And to finish it off, in case you needed more evidence to trust the source of most of this research (Dr. Adele Diamond), check out this clip of Dr. Adele Diamond teaching the Dalai Lama about executive function skills:
Executive function coaching can help!
Current research clearly shows the importance of executive function skills on academic success and quality of life.
If you are struggling with ADHD, school challenges due to executive function deficits can be significant.
In addition to combating stress and adopting a mindfulness practice based in movement, an executive function coach can help!
An Executive function coach can provide personalized guidance, support and practical solutions tailored specifically to your individual needs - all designed to help propel you forward in education and life.
If you prefer a video on this topic, watch this👇
From developing better self-regulation tools, to identifying effective study habits — working with an executive function coach can make all the difference!
If you're interested in executive function coaching for your student, book a no-cost inquiry call with our team at Executive Function Specialists.
FAQs
What actually improves executive function skills the most?
Mindful movement practices (like tai chi or taekwondo) and school-based approaches that build self-regulation tend to show stronger results than many “brain training” apps.
If you’re picking where to invest time, choose interventions that change real-world routines and regulation, not just performance on a screen task.
Why does executive function seem to matter even more in math?
Math constantly asks students to hold steps in mind, organize information, and retrieve facts quickly while solving problems.
That “keep multiple things in your brain at once” demand is basically working memory doing overtime.
What does “quality of life” have to do with executive function?
In two large randomized, placebo-controlled ADHD trials, improvements in executive function ratings lined up with better day-to-day functioning and higher health-related quality of life.
So when EF improves, it tends to show up where people actually live: getting things done, managing demands, and feeling better overall.
The Bottom Line
Research shows that executive function skills are very important for quality of life and academic success.
Scientific evidence suggests that stress and ADHD have the biggest effect on executive function skills.
To help combat this, practice mindful movement, and consider executive function coaching for personalized support tailoring to specific needs.
To get started, book a no-cost inquiry call with our team at Executive Function Specialists.
Hope this helps 🤙🏻
This article is a part of the larger category of:
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P.S. If you want to work on executive function skills with your students, consider joining hundreds of other educators and parents who have completed my Semester Success Blueprint Course. In less than 2 hours, this comprehensive course will teach you and your student the system I developed to help hundreds of students learn how to manage school effectively and raise their self-awareness and engagement with school.
About Me
Hey! I'm Sean 👋
I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.
Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.
In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.
Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.
In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.
When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and growing my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.
Want me to speak on executive function skills at your event? Learn more about my speaking topics here.