Central Executive

The central executive is a term that refers to one part of the three components of working memory that were proposed by researchers Baddeley and Hitch. In this system the central executive functions as a supervisory system that controls information flow from and to its hypothesized subordinate or "slave" systems that are known as the phonological loop, the visuo-spatial sketchpad and the episodic buffer. These slave systems are are considered to be short-term storage of specific areas of detail; phonological (information heard) and visuo-spatial sketchpad and (information seen).

The episodic buffer refers to a faculty that links visual, spatial and verbal information with a sense of chronological ordering. In simpler terms, this might be viewed as a business office with a supervisor (central executive) who is in constant contact with three subordinates who each have a different function. In this scenario the supervisor continually coordinates the activities of the three subordinates to create a cohesive whole.