[Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test: standardization and norms of the test for a population sample in Spain].

Introduction: The Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (M-WCST) is a shorter, modified version of the WCST that assesses executive functioning and mental flexibility. The M-WCST presents some differences and advantages compared to other versions of the WCST, as previously described in the scientific literature.

Aim: To standardize and develop demographically-calibrated norms for the M-WCST in a sample representing of the population of Spain.

Subjects And Methods: This study is part of the multisite Normacog project. Seven hundred participants from 18 to 90 years old were assessed using the M-WCST. The effects of age, sex, and educational level on M-WCST performance were analyzed, and demographically-calibrated percentiles and scaled scores corresponding to each raw score were created.

Results: The effect of age and level of education on the M-WCST variables analyzed (correct categories, perseverative errors and total errors) was statistically significant, whereas sex was not significant. Age and education explained 5.0-21.2% of the variance in M-WCST performance. Older participants with lower level of formal education completed fewer category sorts and made more errors than younger and more educated participants.

Conclusion: This study reports the first normative data for the M-WCST in a contemporary Spanish sample, taking socio-demographic characteristics of the population into account. The influence of age and level of education on the M-WCST performance was confirmed.