Abstract
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) represents a widely utilized neuropsychological assessment technique for executive function. This meta-analysis examined the discriminant validity of the WCST for the assessment of mental shifting, considered as an essential subcomponent of executive functioning, against traditional psychometric intelligence tests. A systematic search was conducted, resulting in 72 neuropsychological samples for the meta-analysis of relationships between WCST scores and a variety of intelligence quotient (IQ) domains. The study revealed low to medium-sized correlations with IQ domains across all WCST scores that could be investigated. Verbal/crystallized IQ and performance/fluid IQ were indistinguishably associated with WCST scores. To conclude, the WCST assesses cognitive functions that might be partially separable from common conceptualizations of intelligence. More vigorous initiatives to validate putative indicators of executive function against intelligence are required.
Highlights
Psychological functions of the frontal lobes of the human brain remain enigmatic despite decades of research
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) scores were significantly related to all intelligence quotient (IQ) domains
We conclude that WCST scores and IQ domains represent partially independent constructs, even if the attenuation of the correlations between them is taken into account. These results support the idea that, despite conceptual overlap between accepted definitions of intelligence and executive functioning, the WCST assesses cognitive abilities that are partially separable from intelligence
Summary
Psychological functions of the frontal lobes of the human brain remain enigmatic despite decades of research (see [1,2,3,4,5] for overviews). The WCST requires sorting cards and using feedback to shift between different task rules. It consists of cards depicting simple geometric figures that vary in color, shape, and number. Examinees have to sort cards in accordance with one of three viable rules, i.e., according to the color, shape, or number of the depicted object(s). The examiner changes the task rule after a number of successively correct card sorts have been conducted by the examinee. In this regard, the WCST bears similarities to task-switching paradigms that are often utilized in experimental psychology ([8] for overview; [9,10,11]). Popular WCST scores include (1) the number of completed runs of correct card sorts (usually referred to as ‘categories’),
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