association

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Two variables are associated if they are not independent, i.e. if the value of one variable affects the value, or the distribution of the values, of the other. Thus, for a human population, height and weight are associated, and so are actual skin-colour and ethnicity. In the case of numerical variables an appropriate measure is the correlation coefficient. In the case of ordinal variables and categorical variables, an alternative measure of association is required.

Yule used the term 'association' in his 1900 paper that proposed a measure suitable for the case of two variables each having two categories with two-way table

Yule's Q is given by Q=(ad−bc)/(ad+bc) (see also tetrachoric correlation coefficient). If the null hypothesis of independence between the classifying variables is correct and if the cell frequencies are not too small, Q has an approximate normal distribution with mean 0 and variance estimated by


Formal tests of independence in this case are provided by the Fisher exact test and the Yates-corrected chi-squared test.

For two categorical variables (A and B having, respectively, J and K categories) a measure with a probabilistic interpretation is Goodman and Kruskal's lambda (λ) suggested by Goodman and Kruskal in 1954. Suppose that we are asked to guess the category of B for the next observation. An intelligent guess would be the category that was the commonest so far (with marginal total equal to f_0m , say). Judging by the past data, the probability that our guess will be correct will be P, given by P=f_0m/f₀₀, where f₀₀=Σ_j Σ_k f_jk, f_j0=Σ_k f_jk, f_0k=Σ_j f_jk and f_jk is the frequency of the (j, k) category combination. Suppose now that the next observation belongs to category j of variable A. Our best guess for the category of B now corresponds to the maximum of f_j1, f_j2,..., f_jK. The revised probability of our being correct will be estimated by


Since the estimated probability of the next observation belonging to category j of A is estimated as f_j0/f₀₀, the estimated probability of being correct taking into account the category of A for the next observation is P_A, given by


The statistic λ, given by


is a measure of the proportional reduction in error resulting from knowledge about A.

With ordinal variables there are more appropriate measures that take account of the ordering. Let j and j′ be two categories of one ordinal variable, A, and let k and k′ be two categories of a second ordinal variable, B. The quantities S, D and T_B are defined in terms of pairs of observations, one belonging to cell (j, k) and the other to cell (j′, k′):

S=the total number of pairs for which, when j>j′, k>k′;
D=the total number of pairs for which, when j>j′, k < k′;
T_B=the total number of pairs for which, when j>j′, k=k′.

These quantities are calculated using every pair of observations. Two measures based on these statistics are Goodman and Kruskal's gamma (γ), proposed by Goodman and Kruskal in 1954, which is given by


, and Somers's d_BA, proposed by the sociologist Robert H. Somers in 1962, which is the preferred measure when B is believed to depend on A. The formula is


.

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The combination of molecules of one substance with those of another to form chemical species that are held together by forces weaker than normal chemical bonds. For example, ethanol and water form a mixture (an associated liquid) in which hydrogen bonding holds the different molecules together.

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For more information on association, visit Britannica.com.

A body of persons united without a charter, but upon the methods and forms used by incorporated bodies, for the prosecution of some common enterprise.

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noun

1. The state of being associated: affiliation, alliance, combination, conjunction, connection, cooperation, partnership. See near/far/distance.
2. A group of people united in a relationship and having some interest, activity, or purpose in common: club, confederation, congress, federation, fellowship, fraternity, guild, league, order, organization, society, sorority, union. See group.
3. A group of athletic teams that play each other: circuit, conference, league, loop. See group.
4. Something, such as a feeling, thought, or idea, associated in one's mind or imagination with a specific person or thing: connection, connotation, suggestion. See suggest.

n

Definition: friendship
Antonyms: aloneness, antagonism, disunion, isolation, opposition, rivalry, seclusion, separation, solitude

n

Definition: mental connection
Antonyms: disassociation, division, separation

plant association

A plant community unit. The term has been variously used, ranging from a large-scale area of climax vegetation to a plant community. One widely used definition of an association is a floral assemblage with a characteristic dominant and persistent species (also known as a consociation), although characteristic combinations of species may be used.

[Th]

The relationship between an artefact and other archaeological finds and a site level, or other artefact, structure, or feature in the site. See closed association, spatial association, stratigraphic association.

1. An attentional style, which is consistent with internal focus. It is illustrated by some distance runners who tend to be very aware of their own emotions and internal body sensations, for example, how their legs feel during performance. Compare dissociation.

2. Used synonymously with correlation in descriptive statistics.

3. A form of learning that establishes the relationship between different events. The basic elements of association learning are connections between the stimulus and response. The strength of an association is influenced by the frequency with which these events are presented together. An association area in the anterior of the cerebral cortex is assumed to integrate previously stored information with incoming information. See conditioning.

An association is an organization of social equals agreeing to work for a common purpose or to promote a common cause. The twelve English colonies in North America applied this name to their organizations for boycotting British manufactured goods prior to the American Revolution. Merchants in the cities of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia each created formally named associations of nonimportation to protest the Stamp Act in the fall of 1765. These associations dissolved with the Stamp Act's repeal in March 1766, but reformed to protest the Townsend Acts in June 1767. On 18 May 1769, George Washington and George Mason introduced to the Virginia House of Burgesses legislation to establish a colonywide association for nonimportation. The Virginia Association called for the cultivation of crops other than tobacco, an expansion of local manufacturing, a boycott all British goods, and a refusal to accept new slaves into the colony. In the next two years, eight additional colonies created similar associations with locally elected committees of compliance and committees of correspondence. On 20 October 1774, the First Continental Congress established the Continental Association, with stiff penalties for nonobservance of the boycotts declared by Congress. Its committees often became ad hoc local governments during the Revolution.

Organizations for purposes other than boycotts also called themselves "associations." During the Revolution, ad hoc militias took the name to justify local looting and pillaging. In New Jersey, the moderately pro-British Association for Retaliation fought the more radical Board of Associated Loyalists between 1780 and 1783 as much as they did the rebels. "Association" later became a popular name for professional and other voluntary organizations in the United States. In 2001, 7,700 national organizations used the term "association," while only 2,700 used the nearly synonymous term "society."

Bibliography

Jensen, Merrill. The Founding of a Nation: A History of the American Revolution, 1763–1776. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968.

Ragsdale, Bruce. A Planters' Republic: The Search for Economic Independence in Revolutionary Virginia. Madison, Wisc.: Madison House, 1996.

—Bill Olbrich

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“a collection of persons who have joined together for a certain object.” 78 So. 693, 695. See cooperative association, freedom [freedom of association].
While a constitutional “right of association” is not expressly included in the First Amendment, its existence has been found necessary in making the Constitution’s express guarantees meaningful; “the right of ‘association’ is more than the right to attend a meeting; it includes the right to express one’s attitudes or philosophies by membership in a group or by affiliation with it or by other lawful means.” 381 U.S. 479, 483.

Quotes:

"Show me the person you honor, for I know better by that the kind of person you are. For you show me what your idea of humanity is." - Thomas Carlyle

"Like associates with like." - Marcus T. Cicero

"In all societies, it is advisable to associate if possible with the highest; not that the highest are always the best, but because, if disgusted there, we can descend at any time; but if we begin with the lowest, to ascend is impossible." - Charles Caleb Colton

"If you want to be a winner, hang around with winners" - Christopher D. Furman

"No one should form an acquaintance with one who has an evil character. A piece of coal, if it is hot burns, and if it's cold, blackens the hands." - Hitopadesa

"We gain nothing by being with such as ourselves. We encourage one another in mediocrity. I am always longing to be with men more excellent than myself." - Charles Lamb

See more famous quotes about Association

a reversible union between two chemical entities, whether alike or different, to form a more complex substance. Compare dissociation (def. 1).

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1. close relation in time or space. In neurology, correlation involving a high degree of modifiability and also consciousness. In genetics, the occurrence together of two characteristics (e.g. blood group O and peptic ulcers) at a frequency greater than would be predicted on the basis of chance.
2. in statistics an association is present if the probability of an event, or the quantity of a variable, depends on the occurrence of other events or the quantity of other variables. If the weight of evidence suggests that the changes in one of the variables causes the alteration in the other the association is said to be causal. In the reverse situation, where no such causal relationship exists, the association is said to be a noncausal one.

• a. areas — areas of the cerebral cortex (excluding primary areas) connected with each other and with the neothalamus; they are responsible for higher mental and emotional processes, including memory, learning, etc.
• epidemiological a. — the association between a disease and a cause.
• a. points — in acupuncture terms all are located on the bladder meridian, along the back 1 to 1.5 inches from the midline. Called also shu points.

  Acupuncture association points. By permission from Schoen AM, Wynn SG, Pratt PW, Alternative and Complementary Therapies in Veterinary Medicine, 1997

• a. strength (degree) — the strength of association between a disease and a cause. Is usually indicated by the relative risk.

n

A connection, union, joining, or combination of things.

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Common misspelling(s) of association

• assocation

Dansk (Danish)
n. - sammenslutning, forening

idioms:

• association area    associationsområde

Nederlands (Dutch)
vereniging, club, omgang, associatie, natuurkundige verbinding

Français (French)
n. - association, amicale, ligue, fréquentation de, union, société, club, association (d'idées), connotations

idioms:

• association area    (Anat) cortex radiculaire, zone de l'association

Deutsch (German)
n. - Verein, Liga, Assoziation, Verkehr

idioms:

• association area    Bereichsvereinigung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σύνδεσμος, εταιρία, σύλλογος, όμιλος, σωματείο, ένωση, συναναστροφή, σχέση, συνεταιρισμός, συνειρμός

idioms:

• association area    περιοχή συνειρμικής λειτουργίας στον εγκέφαλο

Italiano (Italian)
associazione, lega, legame, relazioni

idioms:

• association area    area associativa (cerebrale)
• sister association    associazione sorella

Português (Portuguese)
n. - associação (f), agremiação (f), clube (m)

idioms:

• association area    área (f) de associação
• European Free Trade Association    Associação Européia de Livre Comércio
• Scout Association    Associação de Escotismo
• sister association    empresa coligada

Русский (Russian)
ассоциация, общество, клуб, лига, связь, узы, дружба

idioms:

• association area    район/предел ассоциации
• European Free Trade Association    Европейская Ассоциация Свободной Торговли
• Scout Association    общество скаутов
• sister association    общество близкое к

Español (Spanish)
n. - asociación, club, liga, sociedad, relación

idioms:

• association area    lugar de reunión

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - förening, umgänge

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
协会, 公会, 社团, 结合, 联合, 联盟, 交往

idioms:

• association area    联络区

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 協會, 公會, 社團, 結合, 聯合, 聯盟, 交往

idioms:

• association area    聯絡區

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 연합 , 교제, 연상

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 協会, 組合, 連合, 交際, 連想

idioms:

• association area    連合野
• association of labour unions    労働組合連合
• residents' association    自治会

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مزامله, مصادقه, مرافقه, جمعيه, اتحاد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮איגוד, התחברות, קשרים, אסוציאציה, תסמיך - קישור במוח בין רעיונות, מלים ומשמעויות, צבר לא-הדוק של פרודות‬

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