Page:American Journal of Psychology Volume 21.djvu/229

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THE ASSOCIATION METHOD[1]



Ladies and Gentlemen: When I was honored with the invitation from Clark University to lecture before this esteemed assemblage, a wish was at the same time expressed that I should speak about my methods of work, and especially about the psychology of childhood. I hope to accomplish this task in the following manner:

In my first lecture I shall try to present to you the view points of my association methods; in my second lecture I shall discuss the significance of the familiar constellations; while in my third lecture I shall enter more fully into the psychology of the child.

I might easily confine myself exclusively to my theoretical views, but I believe that it will be better to illustrate my lectures with as many practical examples as possible. We shall therefore occupy ourselves first with the method of association, a method which has been of valuable assistance to me both practically and theoretically. The association method in vogue in psychology, as well as its history, is of course, so familiar to you that there is no need to speak of it. For practical purposes I make use of the following formulary:

 1.head
 2.green
 3.water
 4.to sing
 5.dead
 6.long
 7.ship
 8.to pay
 9.window
10.friendly
11.to cook
12.to ask
13.cold
14.stem
15.to dance
16.village
17.lake
18.sick
19.pride
20.to cook
21.ink
22.angry
23.needle
24.to swim
25.voyage
26.blue
27.lamp
28.to sin
29.bread
30.rich
31.tree
32.to prick
33.pity
34.yellow
35.mountain
36.to die
37.salt
38.new
39.custom
40.to pray
41.money
42.foolish
43.pamphlet
44.despise
45.finger
46.expensive
47.bird
48.to fall
49.book
50.unjust
51.frog
52.to part
53.hunger
54.white

  1. Lectures delivered at the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the opening of Clark University, September, 1909; translated from the German by Dr. A. A. Brill, of New York.