The Reliability and Internal Validity of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

Abstract

This study examined the internal validity of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test in two samples. In an alcohol-dependent sample (n= 151), exploratory factor analysis of internal validity, using Lisrel 8, showed that the six principal scores derived from the test could be fitted to a model with one factor and correlated errors. In a sample of university students (n= 75), we replicated the one factor internal validity model identified in the alcohol-dependent sample, and we also examined the alternate-form reliability of the Wisconsin. The reliability data, together with a reanalysis of information from the most recent edition of the test manual, suggest that the test should not be used for clinical purposes in its present form.