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
word association in American English
noun
stimulation of an associative pattern by a word
Examples of 'word association' in a sentence
word association
Let's just hop on the train of word association, and expect to get somewhere.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
You may as well flip a coin or try word association, according to psychologists.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Seventies fashion outlets and that game, word association.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
She suffered from an obsessive disorder connected with word association.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We've been having trouble with word association, apparently.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Is that the response you'd give in a word association test?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Let us imagine that we are playing a word-association game.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In a word-association game 'portrait' today would almost certainly prompt the response 'selfie'.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Lie down and close your eyes because today we're playing word association.