Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST)

Jones, Catherine R. G.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_281

Catherine R. G. Jones²

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WCST

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The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is a measure of executive function that is used both clinically and within research. The WCST requires the participant to sort a set of cards according to implicit rules and based on the limited corrective feedback provided by the examiner. The participant’s responses can be analyzed to produce separate indices of sources of difficulty on the test. The value of the WCST, therefore, lies in its sensitivity for detecting and characterizing aspects of executive dysfunction.

The WCST consists of two identical sets of 64 response cards that differ on three possible perceptual sorting dimensions: color (red, blue, yellow, or green), form (crosses, circles, triangles, or stars), and number of figures (one, two, three, or four). Four target cards that represent the range of dimensions (one red triangle, two green stars, three yellow crosses, and four blue circles) are placed in a prescribed order in front of the participant and...

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References and Readings

Berg, E. A. (1948). A simple objective test for measuring flexibility in thinking. Journal of General Psychology, 39, 15–22.
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Heaton, R. K. (1981). Wisconsin card sorting test manual. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
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Heaton, R. K., Chelune, G. J., Talley, J. L., Kay, G. G., & Curtiss, G. (1993). Wisconsin card sorting test manual: Revised and expanded. Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
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Heaton, R. K., & Staff, P. A. R. (2003a). Wisconsin card sorting test: Computer version 4-research edition (WCST: CV4). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
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Heaton, R. K., & Staff, P. A. R. (2003b). Wisconsin card sorting test-64: Computer version 2-research edition (WCST-64:CV2). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
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Kongs, S. K., Thompson, L. L., Iverson, G. L., & Heaton, R. K. (2000). Wisconsin card sorting test-64 card version (WCST-64). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
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Schretlen, D. J. (2010). Modified Wisconsin card sorting test (M-WCST). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
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Authors and Affiliations

Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
Dr. Catherine R. G. Jones

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Dr. Catherine R. G. Jones
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Correspondence to Catherine R. G. Jones .

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Editors and Affiliations

Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology Yale University School of Medicine, Chief, Child Psychiatry Children's Hospital at Yale-New Haven Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA
Fred R. Volkmar (Director, Child Study Center) (Director, Child Study Center)

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Jones, C.R.G. (2013). Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_281

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_281
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1697-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1698-3
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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