Associative visual agnosia refers to a visual problem having to do with difficulty in assigning meaning to an object.
Associative visual agnosia is a type of visual agnosia, which is a condition where individuals have difficulty recognizing and identifying objects, despite having intact visual perception. In associative visual agnosia, individuals have difficulty connecting the perceptual information they receive about an object to the meaning of that object.
For example, an individual with associative visual agnosia may be able to describe the features of a hammer (e.g. "it's a long, thin, metal object with a flat surface and a curved end"), but be unable to recognize that it is a tool used for hammering nails. They may not know what the object is or what it is used for.
Other examples of objects that may be difficult for individuals with associative visual agnosia to recognize and identify include household objects, animals, and plants. These individuals may also have difficulty recognizing faces, a condition known as prosopagnosia.
Associative visual agnosia is typically caused by damage to the temporal lobes of the brain, particularly the ventral stream of visual processing. It can occur as a result of traumatic brain injury, stroke, or degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.