Perceptual reasoning is a person’s ability to visualize, understand, and work with non-verbal information. As we grow, the development of these skills becomes increasingly important to function in different areas of life. For example, perceptual reasoning is necessary to perform well academically, especially with mathematics.
If you want to enhance these skills, don’t miss this Psychology-Online article in which we will explain how to improve reasoning perceptual with different simple and effective activities such as association games or training visual memory, among others.
What is perceptual reasoning
Perceptual reasoning is a category of reasoning skills that includes nonverbal fluid reasoning, spatial processing, and visual perception. In essence, those of perceptual reasoning are the capabilities that people use to learn and store new information from the environment instead of retrieving and using the information later.
Activities such as organizing and classifying objects, drawing inference, and problem solving use perceptual reasoning skills. Most nonverbal skills fall into perceptual reasoning, from building with blocks to problem-solving activities like balancing a chemical equation.
What does perceptual reasoning measure?
Perceptual reasoning is one of the four groups of reasoning tested by Weschsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Specifically, perceptual reasoning evaluate the following skills:
- Problem resolution.
- Spatial perception.
- Inductive reasoning, with matrix reasoning tests.
- Spatial reasoning.
- Ability to perceive, recognize and organize visual stimuli.
Children with low perceptual reasoning abilities will have difficulties processing visual stimuli, as well as difficulties learning and recognizing from right to left or vice versa, and they will also find it difficult to invert letters or numbers during writing.
Association games
Association games help improve perceptual reasoning by increase our ability to recognize and compare visual information. In fact, there are infinite ways to play with associations, but we can start with the following:
- Associate the colors.
- Associate shapes and sizes.
- Write letters on cards or pieces of paper and associate them.
- Associate words with images.
- Find objects that start with a certain letter.
- Do .
Find the differences
How is perceptual reasoning stimulated? One of the skills of this type of reasoning is the ability to recognize differences and know when something is or is not part of a group. Below, we show you simple activities to develop this ability:
- Using pictures with “find the differences”– They are found in puzzle magazines, in books and even on the Internet. They present two almost identical images, placed next to each other you have to look for the small differences between them.
- Find objects that do not belong to a certain group: prepare a group of objects, for example, three apples and a pencil, and ask which of these objects has nothing to do with the others? As the game progresses it can be made more difficult, for example by using an apple, an orange, a banana and a ball.
Image: El Confidencial
visual memory
If search perceptual reasoning exercises To train visual memory, don’t miss the following proposal:
- Shows an image.
- Cover it completely or partially and ask the other person to describe what they saw.
- Alternatively, show a series of objects and then hide them.
- Challenge yourself to remember as many items as possible.
- Describe the image in detail or tell a story about the image.
- Compare the image with others.
Attention to details
When in doubt about how to improve perceptual reasoning, show an image with words or other hidden images and challenge them to find as many as possible. In this article, we tell you why these exercises enhance your .
Puzzle
Puzzles help train visual perception skills. The goal of this activity is to rotate and match the shapes and visualize larger images. The skills necessary to succeed in this task will be, among others, the .
Image: Photo Original Gifts
Orientation between right and left
Orientation between right and left is part of perceptual reasoning and visual perception. Therefore, to improve this type of reasoning it is important explain the difference between right and left, perhaps using the hand you write or eat with to start. In addition, the concept can be reinforced by asking to carry objects with the left hand or greet with the right.
Depth perception
Depth perception is part of perceptual reasoning. Specifically, to develop better depth perception we recommend practice the following exercises:
- Play darts, basketball or tennis.
- Put objects in a box (sticks, bricks or others) and indicate that you only have to pick up the ones at the top.
- Put a spilled glass on the table. Next, rotate your finger around the glass and stop when you reach the top of the glass.
Mathematical skills
During growth, perceptual reasoning related to mathematics can be improved. One way to do it is associate objects with the number that describes them (two flasks, three apples, four cups, etc.) and then work on addition and other math concepts.
Concentration
From a young age, one can be taught to focus on specific operations or ideas for short periods of time. As we grow, people learn to concentrate for longer and longer periods.
A simple idea to improve perceptual reasoning and concentrate more is to minimize exposure to environmental stimuli that distract us, such as noise, television, electronic devices or other people, among others. In this article you will find more information about .
Logical thinking
How to improve perceptual reasoning? Another way to do it is to work on logical thinking, a difficult ability to develop. Still, we can encourage the use of logic in many ways. For example, it can be put into practice while we read, while we tell a story or while we carry out day-to-day activities.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to improve perceptual reasoningwe recommend that you enter our category.
References
- Wechsler, D., & Kodama, H. (1949). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (Vol. 1). New York: Psychological Corporation.
Bibliography
- Bergamaschi, S. (2022). Visuo-perceptive abilità: something sono e come si allenano. Retrieved from: https://www.ieled.it/abilita-visuo-percettive-cosa-sono-e-come-si-allenano/
- Fibonicci (2020). Non Verbal Reasoning. Retrieved from: https://www.fibonicci.com/non-verbal-reasoning/