Table 1.

Operational definitions for subconstructs of neurocognitive functioning

Area of neurocognitive functioning	Operationalized definition
General intellectual/cognitive functioning	General mental or intellectual ability and measured by tests that encompass a variety of different content areas, such as verbal, quantitative, spatial ability, processing speed and memory.
Executive functioning	A set of processes that involve mental control and self-regulation and controls and manages other cognitive processes. It encompasses functions such as planning, decision-making, problem-solving, regulation of one’s behaviors and emotions (for example, inhibition), abstraction, mental flexibility, set-shifting (the ability to switch between different tasks or mental sets) and delayed gratification.
Learning and memory	The acquisition, encoding, storage and retrieval of information (includes skills and knowledge).
Attention	Selection and concentration on certain aspects of the environment, in the context of competing stimuli. This cognitive process includes the ability to sustain concentration and inhibit attention to other stimuli.
Language	Verbal skills and abilities that include reading, spelling, pronunciation, grammar, rhythm of speech and fluency.
Visuo-spatial ability	Understanding visual information and their spatial relationships. This includes mental imagery (for example, mental rotation), visual perception and processing, navigation, depth perception and visual construction of objects in space.
Motor skill	A set of skills that involve coordination and sequencing of movements to achieve a particular goal. This area of functioning also includes balance, fine and gross motor movements, speed, strength, agility and manual dexterity.
Academic achievement	Performance based on standardized tests on reading, math or other subjects within a school or school-like setting.