Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 27, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Age differences in perseveration: cognitive and neuroanatomical mediators of performance on the Wisconsin Card
Denise Head1, Kristen M Kennedy, Karen M Rodrigue
1Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, USA. dhead@wustl.edu
Abstract:
Aging effects on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) are fairly well established but the mechanisms of the decline are not clearly understood. In this study, we examined the cognitive and neural mechanisms mediating age-related increases in perseveration on the WCST. MRI-based volumetry and measures of selected executive functions in conjunction with the WCST were obtained in a sample of 117 healthy young and older adults. Path analysis indicated that age-related increase in perseveration is completely accounted for by declines in processing speed and temporal processing, deficits in working memory mediated by decreased prefrontal cortical volume, and the indirect influence of prefrontally-mediated declines in inhibition via working memory. We conclude that age-related increase in perseveration is indeed differentially dependent on the integrity of prefrontal cortex and on declines in selected cognitive processes dependent on this region.
More Related Videos
09:01A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
Published on: May 7, 2014
10:13Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Information Processing Approach
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Working Memory