Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
After recently noticing something (such as a word or a car), one feels it appears frequently; in reality, it is a frequency illusion caused by selective attention.
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The frequency illusion (also known as the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon or Red Car Theory) is a cognitive bias in which a person notices a specific concept, word, or product more frequently after recently becoming aware of it. The name "Baader–Meinhof phenomenon" was coined in 1994 by Terry Mullen in a …
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This phenomenon stems from the brain's reticular activating system (RAS) and selective attention: once a concept enters consciousness, the brain increases its salience, making related stimuli more likely to be noticed and recalled, creating the illusion that "it has become more frequent." Essentially, it is an attentional bias, not an objective change in frequency.
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusionverified
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