Association (psychology)

Association in psychology refers to a mental connection between concepts, events, or mental states that usually stems from specific experiences.^[1] Associations are seen throughout several schools of thought in psychology including behaviorism, associationism, psychoanalysis, social psychology, and structuralism. The idea stems from Plato and Aristotle, especially with regard to the succession of memories, and it was carried on by philosophers such as John Locke, David Hume, David Hartley, and James Mill.^[2] It finds its place in modern psychology in such areas as memory, learning, and the study of neural pathways.^[3]