word association

American  

noun

1. stimulation of an associative pattern by a word.

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word association British  

noun

1. an early method of psychoanalysis in which the patient thinks of the first word that comes into consciousness on hearing a given word. In this way it was claimed that aspects of the unconscious could be revealed before defence mechanisms intervene

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Example Sentences

The problem here is with that word association.

From Slate

Early classics include Radner’s “The Judy Miller Show, Live From Her Bedroom,” Aykroyd’s self-destroying Julia Child, an aged Belushi visiting the Not Ready for Prime Time cemetery as the only surviving cast member, Chase and host Richard Pryor in an escalating, racially charged word association test.

From Los Angeles Times

If I said, "Word association, Nicholas Sparks," what do you think people would say?

From Salon

And each morning in between appointments, I diligently followed the routine she gave me, jogging at the target heart rate for 20 minutes, standing with my roommate in the kitchen doing word association and eye tracking.

From Slate

I stood on one foot while tracking a swinging ball with my eyes, I did word association while walking backward, and I completed memory exercises.

From Slate