Associative thinking

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Here is a quote from Temple Grandin: "For example, if I think about a soccer ball, I first see the soccer ball I played with in elementary school, then I envision the volleyball in the movie Castaway where the guy in the FedEx plane crashes on a remote island, and finally a FedEx package on my doorstep flashes into my imagination. My mind goes from soccer balls to FedEx packages through a process of highly associative thinking."

I do this all the time, my mind goes from one thing to another through a sequence of steps similar to that described above. Can anyone relate? Do you think this is related to autism or to LLI?

That's my ideal. I use this sort of format in my poetry.

I do this all the time, without trying to. It's overwhelming at times.

Yes. My main memory trigger is often something complete disimilar to original event or item

Are you diagnosed with ASD?

Is this LLI? Does anybody know?

What does LLI stand for?

What other way of thinking is there?

What Grandin calls "associative thinking" is what most people call "day dreaming".

About 20 years ago, there was this show called "Connections." It was aired, primarily on PBS stations.

It dealt with unusual connections which lead to great inventions.

Like (as a fictional example). Alexander Graham Bell (who had hearing troubles) didn't hear the warnings yelled out by people when a fire broke out in his roominghouse. This provided the impetus for him to develop the telephone.

Most of the time, though, the connections were much more "spurious" than that which I stated above. Quite an interesting show. Hosted by a guy who looked stereotypically "Aspie" in some ways.

That was a great show.

The host had quite a personality.

It showed how things evolve in zigzaggy unlikely paths:how a doctor who ran a hospital for malaria victims in the Caribean ended up inventing air conditioning, how thermos jugs lead to the Nazi "Vengence Weapon Two" rockets, which in turn lead to all modern space programs- how the "paisley" design invented for clothing in 18th Century Scotland is related to the origin of computer programming (both involved punch cards), and so on...

Examples of "Associative" thinking.

Yep. But isn't this normal though for everyone, including NTs? We had to do this in class too, listen to our History teacher reading a book and having to write down references while she is reading. I am not sure why we had to do this but that is the assignment we had. But this one was one of the assignments I was able to do without struggling.

LLI = Low Latent Inhibition. I think this may be the correct LLI.

I mean unconsciously. Like when you notice something and readily relate it to a seemingly unrelated event or conccept, Maybe synesthesia?