Dr. Friedman's research focuses on individual differences in executive functions –– high-level cognitive abilities that enable individuals to regulate their thoughts and actions during goal-directed behavior. Dr. Friedman study the neural and genetic mechanisms of executive functions, their structure, and their relations to self-regulation, psychopathology, and other cognitive abilities.
Selected Publications:
Reineberg, A. E., Banich, M. T., Wager, T. D., & Friedman, N. P. (2022). Context-specific activations are a hallmark of the neural basis of individual differences in general executive function. NeuroImage, 249, 118845. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118845.
Friedman, N. P., Hatoum, A. S., Gustavson, D. E., Corley, R. P., Hewitt, J. K., & Young, S. E. (2020). Executive functions and impulsivity are genetically distinct and independently predict psychopathology: Results from two adult twin studies. Clinical Psychological Science, 8, 519-538. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702619898814.
Friedman, N. P., Miyake, A., Altamirano, L. J., Corley, R. P., Young, S. E., Rhea, S. A., & Hewitt, J. K. (2016). Stability and change in executive function abilities from late adolescence to early adulthood: A longitudinal twin study. Developmental Psychology, 52, 326-340. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000075.
Reviews:
Friedman, N. P., & Robbins, T. W. (2022). The role of prefrontal cortex in cognitive control and executive function. Neuropsychopharmacology, 47, 72-89. (Special Issue: Volume XV of Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews: The Prefrontal Cortex.) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-021-01132-0.
Friedman, N. P., & Miyake, A. (2017). Unity and diversity of executive functions: Individual differences as a window on cognitive structure. Cortex, 86, 186-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2016.04.023.