Famous Experiments on Executive Functioning: The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🧠 The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) assesses executive functions, including cognitive flexibility, set-shifting, and abstract reasoning.
• 🧪 Participants are presented with cards and asked to match them based on a rule (color, shape, or number), which changes periodically without warning.
• 💡 The test reveals how well individuals can adapt to changing rules and inhibit previously correct responses.
• 📊 Performance is measured by the number of categories achieved, errors made (perseverative and non-perseverative), and trials to complete the first category.
• 🧑‍⚕️ It is used to detect frontal lobe damage, schizophrenia, and other cognitive impairments.
• ⏱️ The WCST typically takes 15-20 minutes to administer.
• 📝 Perseveration is a key concept, referring to the continued use of a previously correct rule despite feedback indicating it is no longer correct.

Practice Quiz

1. Which cognitive function does the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test primarily assess?
   1. A. Long-term memory
   2. B. Executive functioning
   3. C. Visual acuity
   4. D. Motor skills
2. In the WCST, participants must match cards based on which of the following criteria?
   1. A. Size, weight, and texture
   2. B. Color, shape, or number
   3. C. Smell, taste, and sound
   4. D. Temperature, density, and volume
3. What does 'perseveration' refer to in the context of the WCST?
   1. A. Random guessing
   2. B. Ignoring the rules entirely
   3. C. Continuing to use a previously correct rule despite feedback
   4. D. Adapting perfectly to new rules
4. The WCST is commonly used to detect damage in which area of the brain?
   1. A. Occipital lobe
   2. B. Parietal lobe
   3. C. Frontal lobe
   4. D. Temporal lobe
5. Which of the following is a key metric used to evaluate performance on the WCST?
   1. A. Reaction time to the first card
   2. B. Number of categories achieved
   3. C. Pupil dilation during the test
   4. D. Heart rate variability
6. How long does the WCST typically take to administer?
   1. A. 1-2 minutes
   2. B. 5-7 minutes
   3. C. 15-20 minutes
   4. D. 30-45 minutes
7. The ability to adapt to changing rules in the WCST primarily reflects which cognitive skill?
   1. A. Attention span
   2. B. Cognitive flexibility
   3. C. Sensory perception
   4. D. Language comprehension