​Executive Functions (EF) can be defined as a complex set of cognitive processes essential for goal-directed behavior and adaptive responses to novel, complex, or ambiguous situations (Hughes et al., 2005). Furthermore, EF is not a unitary concept as it involves several processes (e.g., Anderson, 2002). There is general agreement on three core EF (Diamond, 2013): inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Inhibition involvessupressing prepotent responses; working memory involves holding information in mind while working with it; and cognitive flexibility involves switching between tasks and mental sets. Research showed that EF performance predicted long-term literacy skills and better EF are associated to better results on literacy assessments (e.g., Fuhs, Nesbitt, Farran, & Dong, 2014; McClelland, Acock, Piccinin, Rhea, & Stallings, 2013). Moreover, EF are essential for cognitive, social, and psychological development, and ultimately for health and well-being.

 

EF seem to be essential for writing, as well. For instance: (a) inhibitory control plays a crucial role in the inhibition of ideas that have already been covered, suppression of inappropriate lexical representations, and selection of the relevant words and phrases structures (e.g., Kellogg et al., 2013); (b) working memory might be required as the text emerges because it helps a child to keep the contents updated to line up with the stored representation (St Clair-Thompson, 2006); and (c) cognitive flexibility is important when thinking of different ways of writing about something. A handful of empirical studies has been supporting the role of EF in the writing domain. These studies showed that writing was predicted by inhibition (Drijbooms, Groen, & Verhoeven, 2015, Altemeier, Abbott, & Berninger, 2008)(including longitudinally: Drijbooms, Groen, & Verhoeven, 2017), working memory (Altemeier et al., 2008), and cognitive flexibility (Drijbooms et al, 2015); working memory and cognitive flexibility differentiated between poor and good writers (Hooper et al., 2002); a single EF latent factor predicted writing cross-sectionally and one year later (Hooper et al., 2011); and growth in cognitive flexibility predicted later writing (Altemeier et al., 2008). 

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Executive functions are a complex set of cognitive processes

(viz., inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility)

that seem to be essential to produce good writing.

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Unfortunately, several methodological differences (EF and writing measures, grades) preclude strong claims about which EF is the most critical to writing. Also, longitudinal effects were studied in reduced spans (Drijbooms et al, 2017; Hooper et al., 2011); studies failed to examine the unique contribution of core EF in a single model (Hooper et al., 2011); and EF contribution to writing quality measures, across genres, was not considered (Drijbooms et al, 2015; Altemeier et al., 2008; Drijbooms et al, 2015; Hooper et al., 2002; Hooper et al., 2011]. No study explicitly tested whether promoting EF improves writing, what would be expected if the claimed relationship exists. An indirect way to promote EF is through mindfulness.