Executive function and social behavior: Causal evidence from loading working memory and inhibitory control.

= 122), inhibitory control was manipulated using an ego-depletion task, but no significant effects of load emerged. We discuss the challenges of isolating inhibitory control from WM and highlight the need for improved methods in future research. Overall, these findings provide causal evidence linking WM to social skills, underscore the importance of distinguishing between social and nonsocial domains of executive functioning, and point to key conceptual and methodological priorities for the field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).