Title: Executive function and the Wisconsin card sorting test: Relationship with behavioral ratings and cognitive ability
Abstract: Abstract The frontal lobes are thought to be responsible for executive functions, behavioral regulation, and social discourse. It has been proposed that frontal lobe dysfunction may be responsible for many deficits observed in children with attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The most widely accepted measure of executive function in adults is the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST; Heaton, 1981). The WCST has been interpreted as a measure of frontal lobe functioning in children as well. Although a number of studies have lent support to the involvement of the frontal lobes in developmental behavior disorders, results have not been consistently replicated using the WCST and other measures. Further, the sensitivity and specificity of the WCST as a measure of frontal lobe dysfunction has not been consistently demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between performance on the WCST and behavioral measures commonly employed in the diagnosis of developmental behavior disorders as well as cognitive ability. Results indicate that performance on the WCST correlates with different behavioral symptomatology depending on age. Similarly, correlation with cognitive ability varied with age. Notably, results of the WCST were not found to correlate with attention for any of the age groups studied.
Publication Year: 1994
Publication Date: 1994-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 82
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