Why is it called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon?
It was named after an incident in which the reader, Terry Mullen, was talking to a friend about the once notorious West German Baader-Meinhof gang, and the next day, the friend referred Mullen to an article in that day’s newspaper in which the left-wing terrorist organisation was mentioned, decades after it had any …
What is the phenomenon when you see something everywhere?
“The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, otherwise known as the frequency illusion or recency bias, is a situation where something you recently learned about suddenly seems to appear everywhere.
When was the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon discovered?
1994
“Baader-Meinhof phenomenon was invented in 1994 by a commenter on the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ online discussion board, who came up with it after hearing the name of the ultra-left-wing German terrorist group twice in 24 hours.
Why do I see the same car everywhere I go?
The psychology behind seeing your new car everywhere after you buy it. Once you purchase a new car and it’s under your possession, your brain adjusts, adding the particular model to its list of things to notice. Psychologists call this the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon; more commonly, they refer to it as frequency illusion …
What happened Baader Meinhof?
Baader, escaping one imprisonment in 1970, was arrested again in 1972. Meinhof hanged herself in her cell in 1976. Three others, including Baader, were found shot dead in their cells on October 18, 1977.
What causes frequency illusion?
The Frequency Illusion is caused by two cognitive processes: selective attention and confirmation bias. Our brain has an incredible talent for pattern recognition. At this very, singular moment your brain is involved in a vast array of complex processes.
Is frequency illusion a cognitive bias?
Frequency illusion, also known as the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon or frequency bias, is a cognitive bias in which, after noticing something for the first time, there is a tendency to notice it more often, leading someone to believe that it has a high frequency of occurrence.
What is the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon?
Welcome to the Baader-Meinhof (pronounced badder minehoff) phenomenon, otherwise known as the frequency illusion. This phenomenon occurs when the thing you’ve just noticed, experienced or been told about suddenly crops up constantly.
Where did the name Baader-Meinhof come from?
Now if you’ve done a cursory search online for Baader-Meinhof, you might be a little confused, because the phenomenon isn’t named after anyone who researched it. Instead, it’s named for a militant West German terrorist group, active in the 1970s. The St. Paul, Minnesota, Pioneer Press online commenting board was the unlikely source of the name.
Who were the Baader-Meinhof Gang and what did they do?
The eponymous Baader-Meinhof Gang was a paramilitary group active in Germany starting in 1970. Also known as the Red Army Faction, Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin and Horst Mahler founded the group. Growing out of the West German Student Protest Movement, the RAF’s activity peaked in 1977 with the events of German Autumn.