Screenshot from thePEBL computerized version of the Wisconsin Card sort
Purpose
measure frontal lobe dysfunction
TheWisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is aneuropsychological test ofset-shifting, which is the capability to showflexibility when exposed to changes in reinforcement.[1][2] The WCST was written by David A. Grant and Esta A. Berg.The Professional Manual for the WCST was written by Robert K. Heaton, Gordon J. Chelune, Jack L. Talley, Gary G. Kay, and Glenn Curtiss.
Stimulus cards are shown to the participant and the participant is then instructed to match the cards.[3] They are not given instructions on how to match the cards but are given feedback when the matches they make are right or wrong.[4]When the test was first released the method of showing the cards was done with an evaluator using paper cards with the evaluator on one side of the desk facing the participant on the other.[5] The test takes approximately 12–20 minutes to carry out using manual scoring which is greatly reduced with the aid of computer testing.[6][7] The test results produce a number of usefulpsychometric scores, including numbers, percentages, and percentiles of: categories achieved, trials, errors, and perseverative errors.[8][9]
The WCST has been shown to be reliable and valid in multiple populations including people with autism,[10] people recovering from a stroke,[11] pediatric populations,[12] and psychiatric populations.[13]
Since 1948, the test has been used byneuropsychologists andclinical psychologists in patients withacquired brain injury,[11][14][15]neurodegenerative disease, ormental illness such asschizophrenia.[13][16] It is one of several psychological tests which can be administered to patients to measure frontal lobe dysfunction.[17][18] When administered, the WCST allows the clinician speculate to the following frontal lobe functions: strategic planning, organized searching, utilizing environmental feedback to shift cognitive sets, directing behavior toward achieving a goal, and modulating impulsive responding.[19][20] The test can be administered to those from 6.5 years to 89 years of age.[21][22] The WCST, relies upon a number of cognitive functions including attention, working memory, and visual processing.[23][24][25] The WCST was originally developed to measure abstract reasoning[26] as such it may be used to help measure an individual's competence in abstract reasoning, and the ability to change problem-solving strategies when needed.[27][28] In this test, a number of cards are presented to the participants. The figures on the cards differ with respect to color, quantity, and shape.[29]
Psychological tests such as the WCST, administered alone, cannot be used to measure the effects of a frontal lobe injury, or the aspects of cognitive function it may affect, such as working memory; a variety of tests must be used.[17][30][31] A participant may be good at one task but show dysfunction inexecutive function overall. Similarly, test results can be made misleading after testing the same individual over a long period of time. The participant may get better at a task, but not because of an improvement in executive cognitive function; they may have simply learned some strategies for doing this particular task that made it no longer a good measurement tool.[32][33]
^Monchi, O., Petrides, M. Petre, V., Worsley, K., & Dagher, A. (2001). Wisconsin card sorting revisited: Distinct neural circuits participating in different stages of the task identified by event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. The Journal of Neuroscience, 21(19), 7733-7741.
^E. A. Berg. (1948). A simple objective technique for measuring flexibility in thinking J. Gen. Psychol. 39: 15-22.
^Biederam J, Faraone S, Monutaeux M, et al. (2000). "Neuropsychological functioning in nonreferred siblings of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder".Journal of Abnormal Psychology.109 (2):252–65.doi:10.1037/0021-843X.109.2.252.PMID10895563.
^Kane, M.J. & Engle, R.W. (2002). "The role of prefontal cortex in working-memory capacity, executive attention, and general fluid intelligence: An individual-differences perspective." Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 9(4), 637-671. Retrieved from"Archived copy"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2011-12-27. Retrieved2011-12-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
