Visuospatial

Visuospatial refers to the cognitive processes that enable a person to perceive, interpret, and interact with visual information about the space around them. It encompasses the ability to judge object locations, directions, distances, and the relationships among objects in three dimensions. The term is used to describe a set of interrelated skills that support perception, construction, memory, and mental manipulation of spatial information.

Core components commonly discussed in psychology and neuroscience include visuospatial perception (processing the location and orientation of objects in space), visuospatial construction (assembling or drawing objects to form coherent shapes), visuospatial working memory (holding and manipulating spatial information in mind), and mental rotation or spatial visualization (imagining how objects would look if rotated or transformed). These processes often operate together with other cognitive systems such as attention and executive function.

Neuroanatomy studies point to a supporting role for the dorsal visual stream, linking occipital to parietal regions, with the parietal cortex playing a central part in spatial analysis and representation. Additional involvement comes from frontal networks that coordinate planning and working memory, and, for long-term spatial memory, hippocampal structures.

Assessment of visuospatial abilities is common in neuropsychology and may include tasks such as block design, figure copying (e.g., Rey–Osterrieth Complex Figure), mental rotation tests, and spatial span measures. Deficits can occur after brain injury or in neurodegenerative conditions, sometimes presenting as visuospatial neglect or early declines in diseases like Alzheimer's.

Applications include educational support, cognitive rehabilitation, and performance assessment in fields requiring spatial reasoning and navigation.