Abstract: This study was investigating the ability of visual figures in mentally retarded children aged 9-13(average age 11.2).The children were divided into two groups according to their intelligence quotient (IQ).Group A,IQ 55-75,average IQ 62.0;Group B,IQ 36-51,average IQ 41.6.Each group 14subjects.10figures were used as experiment samples.Each figure used as target was presented once by two kinds of exposed time(0.05 sec,0.01 sec).The subject was required to recognize the target figure from the 10 comparable figures.The results showed that the accuracy of recognition of visual figures for group B was obvious lower than for group A in both of the exposed time.Comparing the resolts with the normal children aged 10-11(average age 10.2),it was found,that the accuracy of recognition of visual figures was obvious lower than the nomal children.It suggests that the IQ difference among the children made obvious influence to their perceptual discrimination.

Key words: mentally retarded children, normal children, recognition of visual figures