Executive functions (EFs), such as response inhibition, interference control, and set shifting, are general-purpose control mechanisms that enable individuals to regulate their thoughts and behaviors. Because bilingual individuals use EF-like processes during language control, researchers have become interested in the hypothesis that this use might train EFs, resulting in better performance on non-linguistic EF tasks. Although this bilingual advantage hypothesis seems straightforward to test, it involves a number of important decisions in terms of how to assess bilingualism and EFs. In this article, I focus on the complexity of measuring EFs, drawing on individual differences research (conducted with participants not selected for bilingualism). Specifically, I discuss issues related to (1) the measurement of EFs (particularly the effects of task impurity and unreliability) and (2) the multicomponent nature of EFs. Within each of these topics, I elaborate on consequences for research on bilingual advantages and provide some recommendations.

中文翻译：

---

执行功能中个体差异的研究：对双语优势假设的启示。

执行功能（EF），例如响应抑制，干扰控制和设定移位，是使个人能够调节其思想和行为的通用控制机制。由于双语者在语言控制期间会使用类似EF的过程，因此研究人员对这种用法可能会训练EF的假设产生了兴趣，从而使非语言EF任务的性能更好。尽管这种双语优势假设似乎很容易检验，但它在评估双语和EF方面涉及许多重要的决定。在本文中，我将基于个体差异研究（由未选择双语的参与者进行）来关注衡量EF的复杂性。具体来说，我将讨论与（1）EF的测量（尤其是任务杂质和不可靠性的影响）以及（2）EF的多组分性质有关的问题。在这些主题的每个主题中，我都会详细阐述双语优势研究的后果并提供一些建议。