What is perceptual ability?

The term 'perceptual ability' refers to the faculty of interpreting or processing sensory information, such as that gathered from sight. It is often discussed in relation to cognitive (thought) and motor (physical) abilities.

Perceptual abilities can be futher subdivided.

Visual perceptual ability, for example, involves the following:

• Discrimination (awareness of distinguishing features, such as size and color)
• Figure ground (the ability to distinguishing an object from its background)
• Closure (being able to make assumptions based on visual fragments)
• Memory (referring to the retention and recall of visual information, including specific sequences)
• Form constancy (recognizing visual features despite changing shape or position)
• Spatial skills (relative awareness of an object's position)