cryptomnesia

n. an implicit memory phenomenon in which people mistakenly believe that a current thought or idea is a product of their own creation when, in fact, they have encountered it previously and then forgotten it. Cryptomnesia can occur in any creative enterprise, as for example when an investigator develops a research idea that he or she believes is original whereas in actuality it can be documented that he or she saw or heard the idea at some earlier point in time. Also called inadvertent plagiarism; unconscious plagiarism.

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Psychology term of the day

January 30th 2025

Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living

an observer-based measure of the functional status of older adults and individuals with chronic disorders. An individual is rated on the degree of assistance required to perform six basic functions: bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting, transferring, and continence. Baseline measurements provide useful feedback when compared to periodic or subsequent measurements. Also called Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. [originally developed in 1963 by Sidney Katz (d. 2012), U.S. physician and geriatrician]