Psychology Facts

▼ Psychological Phenomena(s) ▼

Cryptomnesia:
occurs when a forgotten memory returns without its being recognized as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original.

Bystander Effect:
the inhibiting influence of the presence of others on a person's willingness to help someone in need. Research has shown that, even in an emergency, a bystander is less likely to extend help when he or she is in the real or imagined presence of others than when he or she is alone.

Deja Vu:
the feeling that one has lived through the present situation before. The phrase translates literally as "already seen". Although some interpret déjà vu in a paranormal context, mainstream scientific approaches reject the explanation of déjà vu as "precognition" or "prophecy".

Placebo Effect:
defined as a phenomenon in which some people experience a benefit after the administration of an inactive "look-alike" substance or treatment. This substance, or placebo, has no known medical effect.

McGurk Effect:
defined as a categorical change in auditory perception induced by incongruent visual speech, resulting in a single percept of hearing something other than what the voice is saying.

Cognitive Dissonance:
state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.

Baader-Meinhof:
Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, otherwise known as frequency illusion or recency illusion. This phenomenon occurs when the thing you've just noticed, experienced or been told about suddenly crops up constantly.

Online Disinhibition Effect:
lack of restraint one feels when communicating online in comparison to communicating in-person. People feel safer saying things online which they would not say in real life because they have the ability to remain completely anonymous and invisible behind the computer screen.

Overview Effect:
cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer space. ... The thing that really surprised me was that it [Earth] projected an air of fragility.

Reverse Psychology:
is a technique involving the assertion of a belief or behavior that is opposite to the one desired, with the expectation that this approach will encourage the subject of the persuasion to do what actually is desired.