A philosophical or psychological theory that explains mental processes, behavior, or knowledge as arising from the association of ideas or experiences rather than from innate qualities.
From 'associational' plus -ism (from Greek -ismos), which creates nouns denoting theories, doctrines, practices, or conditions, as in 'behaviorism,' 'nationalism,' and 'capitalism.'
Associationism was huge in 18th and 19th century psychology—philosophers argued that human thoughts aren't innate but built up from experience linking ideas together, which prefigured modern neuroscience by 200 years!
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