Associationism (Noun)
Meaning
(psychology) a theory that association is the basic principle of mental activity.
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Examples
- The psychologist's work focused on associationism, arguing that all mental processes, including perception and memory, can be explained by associations between ideas and experiences.
- Associationism was a major influence on the development of behaviorism in the early 20th century, although it later fell out of favor.
- The philosopher John Locke's ideas on associationism laid the groundwork for later empiricist thinkers.
- According to associationism, our thoughts and behaviors are shaped by the connections between stimuli and responses that we learn through experience.
- The associationism theory suggests that memories are retrieved by reactivating the same neural pathways that were present during the original learning experience.