Given how much we rely on associations, it is reasonable to suspect that we actively look for them in our environment. Hence, the use of associations here is more for inducing a state of associative thinking rather than eliciting stimulus-specific facilitation. Specifically, we measure the effect of associative and non-associative processing on subsequent performance, where any associative information precedes but is not directly relevant to performing the task. We aimed to test the hypothesis that the search for association is so persistent as to pose a cognitive “load” that will tax even low-level perceptual tasks. German Shepherd and a bone, on the other hand, are associatively related. For example, while a German Shepherd and a Poodle are semantically related, they rarely, if ever, appear together and thus are not considered associatively related. We define associations as a relation between items that co-occur, co-activated, and tend to be relevant together in the same context. To fill in this gap in our understanding of the global importance of associations, we induce either associative or non-associative thinking and test the subsequent effect this induction has on perceptual performance. In other words, is associative processing exclusively a high-level faculty (which might explain why higher cortical areas have been termed association areas), or can associative processing influence the earliest stages of perception as well? What is not yet explored, however, is the possible effect of associative coherence also on lower-level perception.

Thus, the facilitatory involvement of associations in memory encoding, retrieval, and in the generation of predictions is already widely acknowledged. The effect of associations, especially contextual, on recognition of scenes and objects has also been examined extensively (Bar, 2004 Biederman, 1972). Additionally, associative information can serve as a platform for generating predictions (Bar, 2007), which may be why associations are found to be intrinsically attractive (Trapp et al., 2015). Furthermore, associative thinking contributes to problem-solving and critical thinking skills (Rowe, 1991).

For example, there is a strong link between associative abilities and creativity (Benedek et al., 2012 Levin, 1978). The associative nature of our world is also reflected in the associative nature of our thought.Ī thinking pattern that is associative advances from one concept to an associated concept regularly, coherently, and seamlessly can significantly affect cognitive performance.

Those learned associations help us predict what to expect, how to plan, what to approach and what to avoid (Bar, 2004). The associations of what happens with what, what happens after what, and other regularities found in everyday contexts, provide the platform for our stable world model.

Coherence meaning social science