The Empiricist Concept of Association

These flashcards cover key concepts related to the empiricist philosophy, particularly its views on how knowledge and ideas are formed through sensory experiences.

Empiricism

A philosophy asserting that knowledge comes primarily from sensory experiences.

Association by Contiguity

The principle that ideas and sensations are linked in the mind when experienced together or closely in time.

Elementary Ideas

Basic units of thought derived from sensory experiences, which combine to form complex ideas.

John Stuart Mill

A philosopher who analyzed the mind's functioning through the lens of mental chemistry, linking complex ideas to combinations of elementary ideas.

Contiguity

Proximity in space or time that contributes to the association of ideas in the mind.

Nativism

A philosophy that stands in contrast to empiricism, suggesting that certain concepts or knowledge are inborn.

Mental Chemistry

An analogy used by Mill to describe how complex ideas are formed from combinations of simpler, elementary ideas.

Impact of Empiricist Philosophy

Empiricism has significantly influenced the study of psychology, particularly in understanding learning and memory.