ssociated with childhood obesity as well (. Executive functioning reflects a number of cognitive
functions that are processed by the prefrontal cortex and
required for such activities as carrying out plans, obeying social rules,
and adapting to changing environmental circumstances. Core executive functions for preschool children are
inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory
. Studies examining the
different components of executive functioning show that differences
in childweight status are usually only significant for response
inhibition and cognitive flexibility, with few or inconsistent differences
in intelligence, reasoning,working memory, and verbal fluency
. Across studies, overweight and/or obese
children tend to show lower levels of response inhibition and cognitive
flexibility than healthy weight children.