Age-Related Changes in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Performances of 8- to 11-Year-Old Turkish Children

Abstract

The leading aim of the present study was to examine developmental trends in performance on a computerized version of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in Turkish children. Participants were 449 children aged between 8 and 11. Findings suggested that children's WCST scores improve with age, and developmental changes in executive functions follow distinct processes as assessed by different components of the WCST. The most striking improvement was noted in perseverative tendencies around age 10. This study also explored the effects of parental education on WCST performances of children, and maternal education emerged as the most important predictor.

Keywords:

• Executive functions
• Wisconsin Card Sorting Test
• WCST
• Developmental changes

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Bogazici University Research Fund (BAP-02B702). We would like to thank all students for their help in data collection. We are also grateful to all children and families who participated in this study.