What is an association: the logic of an illogical

Our consciousness exists as a huge system of ordered information, which is driven by external influences. However, the connections of models of the surrounding world, formed according to bizarre laws, by no means obey the standard logical laws. Connections in the human mind exist on the principle of individually significant "linkages" - associations. What is an association and is it really so illogical?

The old theory

The very concept of "association" appeared in the 17th century, in the works of John Locke, an Englishman, philosopher and researcher. He argued that the connections in the human mind are formed according to three principles: the similarity, the contiguity and the causal relationship of the facts. In principle, modern science has not made anything new in this theory. Some areas of the science of the mind, such as Gestalt psychology, generally do not want to recognize the associativity of the mind, probably because of unpredictability.

Is the memory lazy or economical?

What is the association from the position of cognitive science? If you carefully analyze associations for words, then it can be noted that associations are often formed by contiguity (in time and space). That is, simultaneously seen things are often remembered together. Or simultaneously occurring events. Human memory is economical, so it seeks either to link the existing two phenomena to a causal relationship, either to reduce everything to the observed laws, or to connect the simultaneous existence of two things or phenomena.

What can be seen in the spots?

Usually the direction of building associations in the human mind is associated with the dominant personality at the moment. That is, with that which excites a person, it affects his consciousness. This principle is based on the test using the Rorschach stains, it allows you to understand what people think about primarily. Spots are very vague, a religious person can see in one spot an angel, and another person in the same spot - a picture of the murder. Psychologists who interpret this test know the methods of working with associations. What is an association for them? Nothing more than a working tool.

The environment decides a lot

Associations are closely related to the individual experience of a person, and therefore are very surprising, unpredictable. They are also related to social experience. For example, in the modern prayer-book there is a phrase asking God to save a person from "diabolical haste". Do you think that it's a sin to hurry? This is our association with the word "haste". And for the Old Russian man this phrase meant serving the enemy of the human race. Thus, associations also reflect the social experience of a person.

Is the mother lazy? The child is stupid

Many associations come from childhood. What is an association for a child? This is a unique piece of experience. The more information of different kinds the child "digests", the richer will be his adult experience. And the more he can see the deepest connections between objects and phenomena. Therefore, you can not keep the baby in the cage or the cage cage all the time, his knowledge of the world should not be limited to the TV. Make the world of the kid bright and diverse, so that his future was not spoiled by the fact that the mother was lazy to deal with the child, leaving him for half a day in the arena.