Visual memory and observation
Notice the exact feature, position, and orientation before comparing or recalling a figure.
Observe, encode, recall
- Observation means detecting a difference in shape, count, direction, position, or sequence. Compare one feature at a time.
- Visual memory means retaining those details after the figure is removed. Group them by rows, regions, or distinctive features instead of rereading randomly.
- Keep orientation fixed: a rotated figure may preserve its parts, while a mirror image reverses left and right. These are different transformations.
- For timed questions, scan systematically and verify the one feature that distinguishes the options.
Worked comparison
Compare the two 3 × 3 patterns. Which cell changed?
| Pattern | Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · row 1 | ○ | △ | □ |
| A · row 2 | ◇ | ○ | ＋ |
| A · row 3 | □ | ◇ | × |
| B · row 1 | ○ | △ | □ |
| B · row 2 | ◇ | ○ | ＋ |
| B · row 3 | □ | △ | × |
Answer: Row 3, column 2 changed from ◇ to △. Checking each row in order makes the difference easy to locate.
Quick practice
- In the sequence ↑, →, ↓, ←, what comes next if the direction turns 90° clockwise each time?
- A shape is rotated 180°. Does its left-right order reverse in the same way as a mirror image?
- To compare two crowded figures, should you scan randomly or compare corresponding regions in a fixed order?
Show answers
- ↑. Four quarter-turns complete one full rotation.
- No. A 180° rotation turns the whole figure; a mirror reflection reverses handedness.
- Use a fixed order (for example, top-left to bottom-right) so no region is skipped.