Association Formation

Definition

Association formation refers to the process by which two stimuli or events become linked in an individual's mind, leading to the ability to predict and respond to one based on the presence of the other. It involves the establishment of a connection between previously unrelated stimuli or events.

Related terms

Conditioned Stimulus (CS):

A conditioned stimulus is a neutral stimulus that, through repeated pairing with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS), comes to elicit a conditioned response (CR). For example, if someone repeatedly rings a bell before giving food to a dog, eventually just ringing the bell alone will cause the dog to salivate.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS): An unconditioned stimulus is a stimulus that naturally triggers an unlearned response or reflex without any prior conditioning. In Pavlov's classic experiment, food was an unconditioned stimulus because it elicited salivation in dogs without any prior learning.

Temporal Contiguity:

Temporal contiguity refers to how closely in time two events occur together. According to Pavlov's assertion about temporal contiguity being necessary for association formation, for two stimuli or events to be associated with each other, they need to be presented close enough in time so that their occurrence becomes linked in an individual's mind.