cryptomnesia

[krip-toh-mnee-zhuh]

noun

1. the phenomenon of not recognizing the return of an old memory as a product of memory, but instead regarding it as a new or original thought or idea.

   Cryptomnesia has misled some writers to embark on new works which are actually unconscious plagiarism or even self-plagiarism.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cryptomnesia¹

First recorded in 1900–05; crypto- ( def. ) + Greek mnêsis “memory” + -ia ( def. ); amnesia ( def. ).

Example Sentences

To different degrees, we have all been guilty of cryptomnesia.

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Alan S. Brown and Dana R. Murphy conducted early experiments on cryptomnesia in the late 1980s at Southern Methodist University.

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More recent studies have confirmed that cryptomnesia is relatively easy to induce.

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In other experiments, Dr. Dow found that novices were more likely to commit accidental plagiarism than experts, and that people were more prone to cryptomnesia when multitasking.

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Of course, conscious or not, plagiarism is still plagiarism — and cryptomnesia can get anyone in serious trouble.

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