automaticity

American  

[aw-tuh-muh-tis-i-tee] / ˌɔ tə məˈtɪs ɪ ti /

noun

1. the quality or fact of being performed involuntarily or unconsciously, as a reflex, innate process, or ingrained habit.

   This online math program helps students achieve automaticity in the basic facts of addition and subtraction.

2. the fact or quality of starting or operating independently.

   In this historical drama, everything happens with the automaticity of clockwork, as if the ending has already been written.

---

Etymology

Origin of automaticity

automatic ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

Explanation

If you've ever heard the term "practice makes perfect," it’s a most fitting description of automaticity, which means being able to do something effortlessly because you've practiced it so much. Think of automaticity as your brain flipping on the "easy mode" for tasks you’ve practiced repeatedly. It comes from the word automatic, which refers to actions performed effortlessly and without conscious thought. An example of automaticity is mastering a new skill, like riding a bike. At first, bike riding might require a lot of brain power and effort to accomplish, but after a a bit of practice, it becomes so easy that you don’t have to think about it at all.

Example Sentences

“What’s worrying me is the automaticity of the actions — of more nuclear weapons and more missile defenses without thinking if there’s a smarter way.”

From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2021

McLaughlin explains that the infinite scroll design also exploits the psychological phenomenon known as automaticity.

From Washington Post • Jul. 29, 2020

Others do not understand, and openly revel in the automaticity of the cloud.

From The Guardian • Feb. 26, 2019

This automaticity enables us to function smoothly in the world, and becoming conscious when predictions fail enables us to avoid the pitfalls of automatic processing and adjust to changes in our environment.

From Scientific American • Dec. 19, 2018

Not only is it true that repetition makes for automaticity, but intensity is also an aid.

From How to Teach by Strayer, George Drayton