Lange Florian, Kröger Birte, Steinke Alexander, Seer Caroline, Dengler Reinhard, Kopp Bruno
Department of Neurology, Hannover Medical School.
Neuropsychology. 2016 Jul;30(5):579-90. doi: 10.1037/neu0000271. Epub 2016 Feb 11.
The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) is often regarded as a prototypical neuropsychological test of set-shifting ability. However, it has been proposed that WCST performance involves cognitive processes other than set shifting, such as set maintenance and rule inference. Distinguishing between these processes is necessary for the meaningful interpretation of WCST performance deficits in neuropsychological populations. In the present studies, we aimed to concurrently measure processes of set shifting, set maintenance and rule inference in a computerized version of the WCST, and to dissociate these processes based on their dependence on working memory capacity.
In Study 1, we manipulated the number of card-sorting rules to vary the demands placed on working memory-dependent processes of rule inference. As predicted, integration errors as a novel measure of rule-inference efficiency were selectively affected by increasing the number of rules from 3 to 4. In Study 2, we examined age-related changes in set shifting, set maintenance, and rule inference. We found a specific association between age and integration errors, indicating that rule inference, but not set shifting or set maintenance, is affected in older individuals.
Rule inference on WCST-like card-sorting tasks appeared to be selectively impaired when the amount of information to be integrated in working memory increases or when working memory capacity is reduced (as in older individuals). Our findings indicate that measuring integration errors as an index of a distinct rule-inference process can improve the understanding and interpretability of WCST performance. (PsycINFO Database Record
威斯康星卡片分类测验（WCST）常被视为定势转换能力的典型神经心理学测验。然而，有人提出，WCST的表现涉及定势转换之外的认知过程，如定势维持和规则推理。区分这些过程对于有意义地解释神经心理学人群中WCST表现缺陷是必要的。在本研究中，我们旨在同时测量计算机化WCST中的定势转换、定势维持和规则推理过程，并根据它们对工作记忆容量的依赖程度来区分这些过程。
在研究1中，我们操纵卡片分类规则的数量，以改变对依赖工作记忆的规则推理过程的要求。正如预期的那样，作为规则推理效率新指标的整合错误，因规则数量从3条增加到4条而受到选择性影响。在研究2中，我们研究了定势转换、定势维持和规则推理中与年龄相关的变化。我们发现年龄与整合错误之间存在特定关联，表明老年人的规则推理受到影响，而定势转换或定势维持则未受影响。
当工作记忆中要整合的信息量增加或工作记忆容量降低时（如在老年人中），类似WCST的卡片分类任务中的规则推理似乎会受到选择性损害。我们的研究结果表明，将整合错误作为一个独特规则推理过程的指标进行测量，可以提高对WCST表现的理解和可解释性。（PsycINFO数据库记录）
