Visuospatial function

{{short description|Cognitive processes needed to analyze spatial structure and relations}}

In cognitive psychology, '''visuospatial function''' refers to cognitive processes necessary to "identify, integrate, and analyze space and visual form, details, structure and spatial relations" in more than one dimension.<ref name=Dickerson2014>{{cite book | title= Dementia: Comprehensive principles and practices |date= 2014 |author1=Dickerson Bradford |author2=Alireza Atri |publisher= Oxford University Press | isbn= 978-0199928460 |pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=LWf0AwAAQBAJ&dq=%22visuospatial+function%22&pg=PA467 467–68] }}</ref>

Visuospatial skills are needed for movement, depth and distance perception, and spatial navigation.<ref name=Dickerson2014/> Impaired visuospatial skills can result in, for example, poor driving ability because distances are not judged correctly or difficulty navigating in space such as bumping into things.<ref name=Dickerson2014/>

Visuospatial processing refers to the "ability to perceive, analyze, synthesize, manipulate and transform visual patterns and images".<ref name= Dehn2011>{{cite book |author= Dehn, Milton J |title= Working memory and academic learning: Assessment and intervention |publisher= John Wiley & Sons |date= 2011 |isbn= 9781118045169 |page = [https://books.google.com/books?id=C2uZNzgo29QC&dq=visuospatial+processing&pg=PA80 80]}}</ref> Visuospatial working memory (VSWM) is involved in recalling and manipulating images to remain oriented in space and keep track of the location of moving objects.<ref name=Dehn2011/>

Early impairment in visuospatial function is found in dementia with Lewy bodies and other conditions.<ref name=Dickerson2014/>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Cognition Category:Neuropsychological assessment Category:Neuropsychology Category:Visual perception