Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST)
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is a neuropsychological task that evaluates cognitive flexibility, rule shifting, and executive control by having participants match cards according to changing sorting rules. It measures how efficiently a person can learn, adapt, and modify strategies when the environment changes. It is widely used in clinical, research, and applied performance settings.
Table of Contents
WCST Task Structure
In the WCST, participants see one card at the top of the screen and four cards displayed below it. Each card varies in colour, shape, and number of items. The participant’s task is to select the bottom card that matches the top card according to a hidden sorting rule. After each choice, feedback appears indicating whether the selection was correct or wrong. Participants must use this feedback to infer the current sorting rule. A short practice block is provided first, requiring ten consecutive correct responses. In the main task, the sorting rule can be based on colour, form, or the number of figures, and it can change at any time without warning. Participants must stay attentive, adapt quickly, and adjust their selections whenever the rule shifts. At the end of the task, participants also receive a brief results summary showing their total correct responses, overall errors, and a breakdown of perseverative and other error types.
Data Collected and Behavioral Metrics in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test generates a rich set of performance variables that capture how participants interpret feedback, adjust their strategies, and handle unexpected shifts in sorting rules. These metrics provide a comprehensive view of cognitive flexibility, problem solving, and sustained rule maintenance. In the Variables Tab, you will see all measures recorded during the WCST. Below are several of the most informative indicators that researchers frequently analyze in this version of the task.
These variables can be renamed, expanded, or supplemented with additional measures depending on your research needs.
| Variable Name | Description |
|---|---|
total_correct | Total number of correct responses across the trials |
total_errors | Total number of wrong responses across the trials |
countPreserveError | Count of errors where the participant continued using a previous rule despite feedback |
countOtherError | Count of incorrect responses that do not relate to the old rule, such as inconsistent choices or wrong guesses |
RT | Reaction time for the trial |
current_rule | Name of the active sorting rule for the current trial (number, colour, or shape) |
Preview of the data collected using the online WCST task template in Labvanced showing trial level outputs from the WCST, including accuracy, chosen card features, perseverative and non-perseverative error counts, consecutive correct responses, and the active sorting rule for each trial.
In this task, participants sort cards based on different rules. The rules will change during the task without being announced and the participant needs to figure out the new rules from feedback.
Technologies Supporting the WCST
The WCST benefits from several integrated technologies that strengthen data quality, support diverse testing situations, and allow researchers to scale their studies across devices and locations.
Millisecond Accurate Event Handling: Labvanced records responses and feedback timing with millisecond precision, making it possible to measure rapid shifts in decision making and the exact moment participants adapt to rule changes.
Integrated Webcam Based Eye Tracking: Researchers can optionally record gaze patterns using the built in webcam eye tracking solution, enabling analysis of how participants scan cards, search for relevant features, and visually explore rule possibilities without requiring specialized hardware.
Optimized Performance Across Devices: The WCST can be administered on desktops, laptops, and tablets using either mouse or touchscreen input. The platform automatically calibrates object placement and timing to ensure consistent performance on different screen sizes.
Desktop App for Lab-based Research: For lab based studies, the Labvanced Desktop App provides a stable testing environment (without the need of an internet connection) and the option to integrate hardware such as EEG and sensors via the Lab Streaming Layer, allowing synchronized multimodal data collection.
Remote Testing and Session Management: The task can be deployed to participants anywhere in the world, with built in session management, progress tracking, and secure data storage. This enables longitudinal WCST studies where cognitive changes can be monitored over multiple sessions.
Custom Event Logic and Real Time Monitoring: Labvanced allows researchers to embed conditional logic, adaptive rule changes, and automated scoring within the task itself. Real time video recording tools also make it possible to monitor participant progress during live sessions when needed.
Webcam Eye Tracking
Capture gaze patterns and visual attention with built-in, code-free and peer-reviewed webcam eye-tracking.
Timing Precision
Capture reaction times, task performance, and more with millisecond accuracy for time-sensitive tasks.
Desktop App
Run in-lab studies using the Desktop App, compatible with EEG and other LSL-connected lab hardware.
Applications and Target Populations | Recommended Use of the WCST
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test is suitable for a wide range of populations and research goals. It is particularly valuable when studying conditions that affect executive function, cognitive flexibility, and rule guided behavior.
Neurological and Brain-Injury Populations: Commonly used in assessments involving frontal lobe dysfunction, traumatic brain injury, stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative conditions, where impairments in set shifting and rule learning are often observed.
Psychiatric and Behavioral Health Groups: Relevant for studying executive functioning in conditions such as ADHD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and mood-related disorders, providing insight into difficulties with adaptation, feedback use, and maintaining strategies.
Aging and related Conditions: Useful for monitoring age related changes in executive functioning and identifying early markers of cognitive decline in older adults.
Developmental and Educational Research: Appropriate for examining problem solving, strategy formation, and flexibility in children, adolescents, and emerging adults, especially when exploring cognitive maturation or learning patterns.
Occupational and High Performance Screening: Beneficial in fields such as aviation, emergency services, transportation, and other roles requiring rapid adaptation and decision making under shifting conditions.
Customizing the WCST Template
There are many ways to go about customizing this WCST task template. Below are a few themes researchers commonly ask when it comes to modifying this task.
Stimulus Set
Replace the default card images with your own color, shape, or symbolic stimuli using the ‘Object Properties’ panel.
Rule Structure and Difficulty Settings
Modify how often the sorting rule changes, adjust the number of consecutive correct responses required before a shift, or customize the order in which rules appear. The event system could be utilized to set up any presentation rule or level of difficulty.
Instruction and Training Modifications
Rewrite or expand the instruction screens to match the needs of children, clinical groups, or multilingual samples. You can also lengthen the practice phase, adjust feedback clarity, or incorporate comprehension checks, all by just clicking on the text object on frame.
Timing and Task Flow Adjustments
Change trial durations, fixation cue intervals, and feedback display times to suit your research design. These can be modified through ‘Delayed Action’ or frame specific timing controls. Frame navigation and progression can be modified by editing existing events or adding new ones by clicking on the ‘Add Frame Event’ under the events tab.
Integration With Other Modalities
Combine the WCST with wearable devices, eye tracking, or LSL compatible hardware using the Labvanced Desktop App. This allows synchronized multimodal data collection for more complex cognitive neuroscience studies.
If you need help customizing this task, please feel welcome to write to us and ask:
References
Berg, E. A. (1948). A simple objective technique for measuring flexibility in thinking. Journal of General Psychology, 39, 15–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.1948.9918159
Miles, S., Howlett, C.A., Berryman, C. et al. Considerations for using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test to assess cognitive flexibility. Behav Res 53, 2083–2091 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-021-01551-3