title: Performance of patients with schizophrenia on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To directly compare the performance of patients with schizophrenia and control subjects on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Specifically, we sought to verify if there are significant differences on the "classical" WCST measurements (perseverative errors and number of categories), as well as on more rarely reported scores, and assess the extent to which patients with schizophrenia can improve their performance with card-by-card instructions and continuous verbal reinforcement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Psychiatry department in a university-affiliated hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 patients with schizophrenia, diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria, and 30 control subjects, matched to patients according to age and education.
  
  
  METHODS
  The WCST was administered according to the criteria of Heaton, and a subgroup of the patients with schizophrenia was given a retest after an explanation of the WCST and verbal reinforcements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with schizophrenia succeeded on fewer categories (t = 23.3, p < 0.001), committed more perseverative errors (t = 15.6, p < 0.001), made more perseverative responses (t = 14.6, p < 0.001), needed more trials to succeed at the first category (t = 9.2, p < 0.003) and gave significantly lower conceptual level responses (t = 14.1, p < 0.001) than the controls. However, on retest, patients with schizophrenia committed significantly fewer perseverative errors (t = 5.1, p < 0.001) and showed higher conceptual level responses (t = -3.45, p < 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Consistent with a hypothesis of frontal dysfunction in schizophrenia, patients with schizophrenia tend to show a perseverative deficit; however, some are able to partially overcome this deficit when given verbal reinforcement.
authors: Ecole de Psychologie, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec G1K 7P4. everett@psy.ulaval.ca
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Everett
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Lavoie
authors: J F
authors: JF
authors: Gagnon
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Gosselin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013060:Speech