associative
/ə'souʃjətiv/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Relating to or resulting from association or connection: Describes something that involves linking ideas, memories, or elements together.
- Pertaining to a mathematical operation where the grouping of elements does not affect the result: In mathematics, an operation is associative if changing the grouping of the operands does not change the outcome.
Usage
- General Use: Used to describe mental processes, learning, or systems where connections between items are fundamental.
- Mathematics & Logic: Used to describe a specific property of binary operations (e.g., addition, multiplication).
Examples
- General / Psychology:
- The mind often makes associative links between smells and memories.
- Associative learning is a key concept in behavioral psychology.
- Mathematics:
- Addition is an associative operation because (a + b) + c always equals a + (b + c).
- The associative property holds for matrix multiplication.
Advanced Usage
- "associative thinking": A thought process that connects different ideas, often used in creative or brainstorming contexts.
- The exercise was designed to encourage associative thinking.
- "associative memory": A type of memory retrieval where one item leads to the recall of another connected item.
- The scent of pine triggered an associative memory of childhood winters.
Variants and Related Words
- Associate (verb): To connect or link in thought.
- Association (noun): A connection or relationship between things.
- Associatively (adverb): In an associative manner.
Synonyms
- Connective: Serving to link things together.
- Linking: Making a connection between different things.
Antonyms
- Dissociative: Tending to disconnect or separate.
- Non-associative: Not involving association; in mathematics, describing an operation where the grouping affect the result.
Related Terms & Phrases
- Associative property (law): The mathematical rule stating that the way numbers are grouped in an operation does not change the result.
- Students must understand the associative property to simplify algebraic expressions correctly.
- Associative array: In computer programming, an array indexed by keys (strings or symbols) rather than numerical indices.
- The data was stored in an associative array for efficient retrieval.
Adjective
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characterized by or causing or resulting from the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination
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associative learning
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