1. Plural of associationism; philosophical or psychological doctrines that explain mental phenomena, learning, or behavior through the association of ideas or stimuli and responses.
Usage: philosophy; psychology; formal

Examples

• Early associationisms in philosophy held that all knowledge derives from sensory experience and the linking of ideas.
• Behaviorist associationisms emphasized how organisms learn through stimulus-response pairings.
• Different associationisms competed during the 19th century to explain memory and cognition.
• The psychologist studied various associationisms to understand how children acquire language.
• Modern cognitive science has moved beyond strict associationisms to include more complex mental processes.