Random Word Association

Origin. de Bono. The canonical instance of Random Stimulation.

Mechanism. As Random Stimulation. The word must be a concrete noun — abstract nouns have few attributes and produce short association chains.

Procedure. Draw one concrete noun at random. Set a time bound. List attributes and associations, then force each against the problem. Do not draw a second word before the time expires.

Applies to. Local optima.

Limitations. Rejection of the drawn word. Also: the second and third words yield less, since the practitioner's associative state has been perturbed once and is now anchored.