prefrontal cortex

The anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain, lying in front of the motor and premotor areas.nnThis brain region has been implicated in planning complex cognitive behaviors, personality expression, decision making and moderating correct social behavior. The basic activity of this brain region is considered to be orchestration of thoughts and actions in accordance with internal goals.nnThe most typical psychological term for functions carried out by the pre-frontal cortex area is executive function. Executive function relates to abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts, determine good and bad, better and best, same and different, future consequences of current activities, working toward a defined goal, prediction of outcomes, expectation based on actions, and social 'control' (the ability to suppress urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially-unacceptable outcomes).nnMany authors have indicated an integral link between a person's personality and the functions of the prefrontal cortex. - definition adapted from Wikipedia.