10 Activities to Improve Perceptual Reasoning

Perceptual reasoning is a person's ability to visualize, understand, and work with nonverbal 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 for good academic performance, especially with math.

If you want to enhance these skills, don't miss this Psychology-Online article in which we will explain how to improve reasoningperceptual with different simple and effective activities such as association games or training visual memory, among others.

Index

1. What is perceptual reasoning and what does it measure?
2. association games
3. Find the differences
4. visual memory
5. Attention to details
6. Puzzle
7. Orientation between right and left
8. depth perception
9. Mathematical skills
10. Concentration
11. Logical thinking

Perceptual reasoning is a category of reasoning skills that includes fluid nonverbal reasoning, spatial processing, and visual perception. In essence, the

Activities such as organizing and classifying objects, drawing inference, and problem solving use perceptual reasoning skills. Most nonverbal skills fall under perceptual reasoning, from building 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 kids^[1]. Specifically, perceptual reasoning assess 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 ability will have difficulty processing visual stimuli, as well as difficulties in learning and recognizing from right to left or vice versa and it will also be difficult for them to invert letters or numbers during the writing.

Association games help improve perceptual reasoning by increase our ability to recognize and compare visual information. In fact, there are endless 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 match them.
• Associate words with images.
• Find objects that start with a certain letter.
• Do memory games.

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. Here are some 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: The Confidential

if search perceptual reasoning exercises To train visual memory, do not miss the following proposal:

1. Shows an image.
2. Cover it completely or partially and ask the other person to describe what they saw.
3. Alternatively, show a series of objects and then hide them.
4. Challenge to remember as many items as possible.
5. Describe the image in detail or tell a story about the image.
6. Compare the image with others.

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 the visual-spatial intelligence.

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 be successful in this task will be, among others, the logical-mathematical intelligence.

Image: Photo Original Gifts

Left-right orientation is part of perceptual reasoning and visual perception. Therefore, to improve this type of reasoning it is important to explain the difference between right and left, perhaps using the writing or eating hand to begin with. In addition, the concept can be reinforced by asking to carry objects with the left hand or greet with the right.

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 take those that are at the top.
• Put a spilled glass on the table. Then, spin your finger around the glass, stopping when you reach the top of the glass.

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.

From an early age, they can be taught to focus on specific operations or ideas for short periods of time. As we grow older, we learn to concentrate for longer and longer periods of time.

A simple idea to improve perceptual reasoning and focus more is to Minimize exposure to distracting environmental stimuli, such as noise, television, electronic devices or other people, among others. In this article you will find more information about how to improve concentration.

How to improve perceptual reasoning? Another way to do it is to work on logical thinking, an ability that is difficult 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, in 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 reasoning, we recommend that you enter our category of cognitive psychology.

1. Wechsler, D., & Kodama, H. (1949). Wechsler intelligence scale for children (Vol. 1). New York: Psychological corporation.

• Bergamaschi, S. (2022). Abilità visuo-percettive: thing sono e comer si fillano. Recovered from: https://www.ieled.it/abilita-visuo-percettive-cosa-sono-e-come-si-allenano/
• Fibonicci (2020). Non Verbal Reasoning. Recovered from: https://www.fibonicci.com/non-verbal-reasoning/