associative learning

noun

: a learning process in which discrete ideas and percepts become linked to one another

Examples of associative learning in a Sentence

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Success meant absorbing the abstract pattern and predicting which feeder would open the next day—a feat that may require not just associative learning but executive functioning, which can include the abilities to assess a situation, make plans, and put them into action. — Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 29 Dec. 2024 Elizabeth Kolbert Some botanists maintain that peas are capable of associative learning, others that tropical vines have a sort of vision. — Zoë Schlanger, The New York Review of Books, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of associative learning was in 1905

Rhymes for associative learning

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associative law
associative learning
associative neuron
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“Associative learning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/associative%20learning. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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Medical Definition

associative learning

noun
: a learning process in which discrete ideas and percepts which are experienced together become linked to one another compare paired-associate learning

More from Merriam-Webster on associative learning

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about associative learning

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