The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is a
neuropsychological test
Neuropsychological tests are specifically designed tasks that are used to measure a psychological function known to be linked to a particular brain structure or pathway. Tests are used for research into brain function and in a clinical setting f ...
of
set-shifting, which is the capability to show flexibility when exposed to changes in reinforcement.
[E. A. Berg. (1948). A simple objective technique for measuring flexibility in thinking J. Gen. Psychol. 39: 15-22.] 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.
Method
Stimulus cards are shown to the participant and the participant is then instructed to match the cards. They are not given instructions on how to match the cards but are given feedback when the matches they make are right or wrong.
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. The test takes approximately 12–20 minutes to carry out using manual scoring which is greatly reduced with the aid of computer testing. The test results produce a number of useful
psychometric
Psychometrics is a field of study within psychology concerned with the theory and technique of measurement. Psychometrics generally refers to specialized fields within psychology and education devoted to testing, measurement, assessment, and ...
scores, including numbers, percentages, and percentiles of: categories achieved, trials, errors, and perseverative errors.
The WCST has been shown to be reliable and valid in multiple populations including people with autism, people recovering from a stroke,
pediatric populations, and psychiatric populations.
Clinical use
Since 1948, the test has been used by
neuropsychologists
Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Professionals in this branch of psychology often focus on how injuries or illnesses of t ...
and
clinical psychologists
Clinical psychology is an integration of social science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal ...
in patients with
acquired brain injury
Acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage caused by events after birth, rather than as part of a genetic or congenital disorder such as fetal alcohol syndrome, perinatal illness or perinatal hypoxia. ABI can result in cognitive, physical, e ...
,
neurodegenerative disease
A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophi ...
, or
mental illness
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...
such as
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...
.
It is one of several psychological tests which can be administered to patients to measure frontal lobe dysfunction.
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. The test can be administered to those from 6.5 years to 89 years of age. The WCST, relies upon a number of cognitive functions including attention, working memory, and visual processing. The WCST was originally developed to measure abstract reasoning 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.
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.
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.
A participant may be good at one task but show dysfunction in
executive function
In cognitive science and neuropsychology, executive functions (collectively referred to as executive function and cognitive control) are a set of cognitive processes that are necessary for the cognitive control of behavior: selecting and succe ...
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.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Online demonstration of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Testvi
PsyToolkitAndroid application, which demonstrates the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
vi
Metatrans Apps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wisconsin Card Sort
Cognitive tests
Neuropsychological tests