Attention, working memory, and executive control are commonly considered distinct cognitive functions with important reciprocal interactions. Lesion studies pioneered by Donald Stuss have demonstrated both overlap and dissociation in their behavioral expression and anatomical underpinnings. Here, we provide an overview of cognitive models as well as recent data from lesion studies and both invasive and noninvasive multimodal neuroimaging and brain stimulation, in order to provide an updated perspective on the relationship between attention, working memory, and executive control. Specifically, we address the functional and anatomical correspondence between these processes, toward the goal of identifying whether a lower dimensional theoretical framework should be employed to understand executive control (Karolis et al., 2019). We conclude by emphasizing that one avenue for moving the field, pioneered by Donald Stuss, forward consists of studying this low-dimensional space with a multi-method approach to identify converging evidence regarding the interaction between subfunctions, allowing to construct a model of executive control as the emergent consequence of efficient implementation of these processes.