Set-shifting in healthy children and in children with idiopathic or cryptogenic epilepsy

Set-shifting is an important aspect of attention and regulation of behaviou r. The ability of young children to shift set is debated. Set-shifting is u sually examined using sorting tasks that are designed for adults and hence are inadequate for children. In this study, an experimental Sorting Task fo r Children (STC) is administered to 54 healthy children (aged 4 to 10 years ) and compared with a widely used adult sorting task, the Modified Card Sor ting Test. This experiment shows that preschool children are capable of set -shifting. An extensive error analysis of the STG reveals that perseveratio ns are not predominant. Hence, set-shifting in young children may be charac terised by 'trial and error' rather than by being stuck in a mental set, wh ich is suggested to be typical of adults with frontal lobe damage. A pilot study of 10 children with idiopathic or cryptogenic epilepsy shows unstable set-shifting rather than inability to shift set, which is concordant with known problems in regulation of behaviour.