Definition
A principle of learning which states that memory of a fact, skill, or experience is more easily retrieved when it has been linked, during learning, to something the student already knows. The stronger and more meaningful the link between new material and existing knowledge, the more reliably the new material can be recalled later.
Plain English
We remember new things better when we tie them to things we already know. The brain finds the new information by following the connection back from the familiar one.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation instruction when an instructor connects a new lesson, procedure, or cockpit task to something the learner already understands.
Derivation
Recall comes from the Latin re- meaning 'back' and call, so literally 'to call back.' Association comes from the Latin associare, meaning 'to join with.' Together the phrase means that calling something back to mind is helped by what it has been joined to.
Why Pilots Care
Instructors who use association techniques help students retain safety-critical procedures and knowledge more reliably, reducing the chance of forgotten information during flight.
Analogy
A person may remember a new airport layout more easily by comparing it to an airport they already know. The familiar place gives the new information a mental place to attach.
Intuition Check
Promoted does not mean advertised here. It means helped or made more likely.
Example Sentence 1
Knowing that recall is promoted by association, the instructor introduced the new crosswind landing technique by relating it to the student's previous experience taxiing in gusty wind.
Example Sentence 2
By linking density altitude effects to familiar mountain flying trips, the student found recall promoted by association during later lessons.