Associative Experiment

Associative Experiment, a method for studying complex verbal reactions, thoroughly developed in experimental psychology by Trauscholdt (Trauscholdt, 1881), Kraepelin, Aschaffenburg (1898), and Wreschner (1907), and introduced as a diagnostic method in clinical practice by Jung (C. G. Jung, 1910). The method of the A. e. consists of the following: when presenting the subject with a certain word, they are asked to respond with the first word that comes to mind, while measuring the speed of their response. Experience has shown that the subject never responds with a "random" word, but that their "word-reaction" is connected to the "stimulus word" according to certain laws (laws of association). Applying the A. e. in clinical practice has made it possible to show that 1) associations ("verbal reactions") in various forms of nervous and mental diseases often differ in form (the complexity of the connection between the response word and the "stimulator") and in speed of occurrence; thus, the A. e. facilitates the diagnosis of the disease; 2) with the help of the A. e., it was often possible to discover past traumas, affective experiences, and the patient's "complexes": in cases where the stimulus word arouses an affective memory, reactions are sharply disrupted in form and inhibited. The application of the A. e. to "psychogenic" diseases (hysteria, etc.) is particularly important.