Neurologic validity of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test with a pediatric population

This study investigated the neurologic validity of the Wisconsin Card Sorti ng Test (WCST) with a pediatric population; that is, the ability of the tes t to detect dysfunction in the frontal lobes. Fifty children with diverse e tiologies of brain dysfunction were classified via EEG, MRI, or CT as havin g left hemisphere, right hemisphere, or bilateral frontal, extrafrontal, or multifocal/diffuse regions of brain dysfunction. Findings failed to suppor t the hypotheses that WCST performance is more impaired in frontal lesions than extrafrontal or multifocal/diffuse lesions, or that WCST performance i s more impaired in left hemisphere lesions than right. Although the WCST is not helpful in localizing cerebral area of dysfunction, it may still be a clinically useful test for examining processes that children use to solve c omplex problems.