title: Developmental and neuropsychological perspectives on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in children.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to advance our understanding of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) as a measure of a set-shifting component of neuropsychological executive function among children by investigating the level of difficulty posed by the order of administering number (vs. shape and color) as a sorting criterion in the test. A total of 196 participants at three different ages groups (6, 11-12, and 18-19 yrs.) were administered the standard or a modified version of the WCST. Results revealed several age-related trends: (a) increases in the number of categories completed, (b) increases in test efficiency, and (c) differences in task difficulty as a function of the order in which the number sorting criterion was administered in the test. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the construct validity of the WCST for young children.
authors.affiliation: Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. simona_bujoreanu@dfci.harvard.edu
authors.forename: I Simona
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Bujoreanu
authors.forename: W Grant
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Willis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult