**1. Introduction**

#### **1.1 Cognitive control functions**

Cognitive skills facilitate thinking, reading, learning, retaining information, reasoning, and paying attention as core functions of the brain. Collectively, they work to take incoming information and add it to the bank of knowledge that they use every day at school, work, and in everyday life. Cognitive skills are used in problemsolving, remembering information, and making decisions. In cognitive control, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are intentionally chosen based on task demands,

circumstances, and social context to suppress inappropriate habitual actions simultaneously [1]. Three key areas have been identified in the study of cognitive control functions: working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility to accomplish certain tasks.

Working memory is the ability to retain information, and one must be able to recall information from working memory to complete academic tasks. As an example, consider a student who is reading a narrative text. If that student is unable to grasp the gist of the story as it unfolds, they will not be able to read it successfully, and they will not enjoy the reading experience. There is a possibility that they might end up losing the thread of the story altogether. This is because they have to return to the beginning of a sentence, paragraph, or page quite frequently. They must develop reading fluency to become effective readers, and in order to achieve this goal, they must have a well-functioning working memory. Conversations should be conducted in the same manner. Learners are likely to experience confusion or even a breakdown in communication if a question is asked, and then the answer is not remembered. This is because of the effort necessary to understand the response.

According to Tiego et al. [2], inhibitory control involves the suppression of stimuli and behaviors that are irrelevant to the goal's attainment. Attention, especially in the face of distractions, and control over one's emotional and behavioral responses to diverse stimuli are very important to accomplishing a task or achieving a goal. Consider a situation in which a student is engaged in a writing task when he or she is interrupted in their work by another student, noise, or some other disturbance from around them. Inhibitory control skills are important to deal with the irritation successfully and continue with their work by ignoring the interruptions rather than losing track of their work. Developing inhibitory control skills is essential for dealing with irritation effectively. To be able to continue working quickly, they need to be able to ignore interruptions rather than lose track of their task.

The third aspect of the cognitive control function is cognitive flexibility, which refers to the ability to solve problems effectively. This is a multifaceted approach that enables students to think outside the box, think creatively, and adapt to changing environments. To think creatively without cognitive flexibility is impossible. To effectively communicate, students must be able to use language in accordance with the circumstances of the environment instead of exchanging prefabricated phrases. They will have to create sentences that they have never heard or seen before. In responding to the conversation of another person, they will need to react flexibly, creatively, and spontaneously. Therefore, they need to use repair strategies to support the process of communication to eliminate any misunderstanding, especially if they or their converser have difficulties comprehending. They need to be able to ask their interlocutor to repeat in order to paraphrase what has been said. Therefore, one must be able to change the course of the dialog flexibly to avoid being stuck.

According to Dawson and Guare [3], cognitive control is a function developed in the brain of the learner. Under the influence of others and the environment, cognitive and linguistic skills develop over time. Therefore, the learning environment and teaching play a crucial role in the development of these skills. Unlike motor control functions, cognitive control functions appear to be interrelated rather than used in isolation. There is often a correlation between working memory and inhibitory control (teachers usually notice that students who are proficient at concentrating and do not easily get distracted tend to also have better working memory).

Best and Miller [4] argue that working memory skills and the ability to control inhibitions are significant skills in cognitive flexibility.
