The relationship between executive functions and decision-making competence

The present contribution aims to delve into the relationship between executive functions and decision-making competence under uncertain and risky conditions among healthy adults. Decision making ability, which is essential for autonomy and wellbeing, involves multiple cognitive abilities. Within this field, executive functions are the most investigated, also due to the evidence of an overlap of neural areas activated during tasks requiring executive functions and tasks involving decision making under uncertainty and risk. Among the studies that explored this relationship, we focused only on those where the most widely used instruments - namely, the Iowa Gambling Task, the Game of Dice Task and the Columbia Card Task - have been administered to healthy adults. The results of the analyzed studies are discussed, in order to shed some clarity on this issue and offer suggestions for further studies. Considering the present historical period, characterized by uncertainty and risk, it seems relevant to analyze the crucial role played by executive functions in decision processes under these peculiar conditions, to be able to support adults in their choices also through focused interventions aimed at enhancing executive functions.