This Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) was invented at UW–Madison and is used worldwide for both human and animal cognitive testing, including with our rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) right here at the Primate Center. Learn more about the patented, trademarked gold standard Wisconsin Card Sorting Test through our WCST Fact Sheet.
We can’t tell the monkeys what to do so we won’t tell you how to play the game either. Be patient and see if you can figure it out.
Questions for Discussion
- Was the game difficult or easy?
- Are you surprised rhesus macaques can figure out the game?
- How do you think discovering that rhesus monkeys have the ability to play the WCST changed both research and animal care for these monkeys in captivity?
- The monkeys don’t use smart phones. If they did, they would likely throw them around, chew on them and destroy them. So the monkeys are instead placed in a special test cage with the game on a large screen. Every time they touch the correct object, a treat pellet drops into a tray below, just like a vending machine. They also start with simpler versions than what people get, and then they work their way up to more complicated choices. Do you think the monkeys would play the game if they didn’t get a food reward? Why or why not?
- Look up the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test on the web and see what else you can learn about how it is used in humans and animals.