Cognitive flexibility is the ability to restructure your thinking: to switch between tasks and rules, hold several concepts at once and change strategy when conditions change. It is one of the key components of executive functions.
Switching and set-shifting
Flexibility shows up in task switching and in deliberate set-shifting. An example is sorting cards: first by color, then by shape. The ability to quickly reorganize under a new rule is flexibility itself; it is closely tied to inhibitory control — the ability to suppress a previous, now-irrelevant response.
How it is tested
The classic test is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), in which the rule changes without warning. A "dimensional change card sort" is also used: five-year-olds can handle it, while three-year-olds usually cannot. Activated during this are the prefrontal and cingulate cortex, the basal ganglia and the parietal cortex.
Flexibility and aging
Flexibility develops in childhood as the frontoparietal networks mature and is relatively stable in adulthood — often until about 70. In older age it declines because of brain atrophy, though the brain sometimes compensates with increased activity in working regions. Novelty, learning and a variety of tasks help maintain flexibility.
Calculate using this marker
Calculators where Cognitive flexibility is used directly:
Frequently asked questions
How does cognitive flexibility differ from multitasking?
Flexibility is the ability to switch quickly and deliberately between tasks and rules. “Multitasking” usually means frequent switching with a loss of attention; the brain is almost incapable of truly processing several complex tasks at once.
How do you develop cognitive flexibility?
Novelty and variety help: new routes, skills, languages, games with changing rules. There is little direct evidence that special “trainers” transfer to real life, but general mental and physical activity are beneficial.