Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, USA

Individual differences in executive function abilities predict everyday self-regulation, and executive function deficits are implicated in a number of psychiatric disorders. Although general executive functioning ability is often lumped with impulse control and general cognitive ability, these constructs are separable and in some cases predict independent variance in psychopathology. Measures of executive functions, intelligence, and impulse control are not interchangeable, and considering what distinguishes them at the psychological, neural, and genetic levels can increase insights into associated mental health disorders.