ideomotor

American

[ahy-dee-uh-moh-ter, id-ee-uh-] / ˌaɪ di əˈmoʊ tər, ˌɪd i ə- /

adjective

Psychology.

of or relating to involuntary motor activity caused by an idea.

ideomotor British

/ ˌaɪdɪəˈməʊtə /

adjective

physiol designating automatic muscular movements stimulated by ideas, as in absent-minded acts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

ideomotion noun

Etymology

Origin of ideomotor

First recorded in 1865–70; ideo- + motor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The literature showing the ideomotor effect in FC is voluminous.

From Slate • Nov. 12, 2015

Quattlebaum could have fallen victim to the ideomotor effect, the same psychological phenomenon that convinces users of dowsing rods and Ouija boards that they are witnessing the results of a powerful yet inexplicable force.

From BusinessWeek • Jul. 11, 2013

It helps the patient to concentrate, and with the added advantage of ideomotor signals it markedly improves communications between therapist and patient.

From Time Magazine Archive

Faraday found that séance participants were unaware that they were moving the table themselves because of the ideomotor effect—the concept that thoughts can produce unconscious muscle movements.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Good examples of ideomotor action can be observed among the audience at an athletic contest.

From Psychology A Study Of Mental Life by Woodworth, Robert S.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023