Associationism

Associationism idea, originated from Plato, was a simple form of principle in the way how ideas are linked together (learning) and attempting to find laws that could be used to describe and explain behavior  By learning substantially more, permanent change behavior starts to also change due to experience. 

Aristotle, the greatest philosopher, substantiated four laws of association upon examining the process of remembrance and recall. He viewed association as common sense. Other key contributors such as John Locke, David Hume and George Berkeley evolved this theory further. Over time, associations through experience, combining and thought forms a more complex idea creating an cause and effect relationship linkage. Relatively, a sequence is depicted on the basis of pattern, building and breaking down the decomposition of what is reflected. 

References:
Lucas, S. (2002). Associationism  [Online]. Available: http://susanlucas.com/it/ail601/associationism.html [2013, 29/01/2013].