Moms make the executive (source: UPI.com)

Canadian and U.S. researchers say mom plays a key role in how her child develops executive functioning. Researchers at the University of Montreal and University of Minnesota found the way a mother interacts with her child affects how the child develops this set of advanced cognitive functions — including mental flexibility and the abilities to remember things and control impulses — integral to the ability to make goals and reach them. Lead author Annie Bernier of the University of Montreal and colleagues observed 80 pairs of middle-income Canadian mothers and their year-old babies play and solve puzzles. Click here to read full story.