http://ask.metafilter.com/tags/observationbias Questions tagged with 'observationbias' at Ask MetaFilter. Sat, 15 Jan 2005 00:43:39 -0800 Sat, 15 Jan 2005 00:43:39 -0800 en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 http://ask.metafilter.com/14040/Noticing%2DNew%2DWords Language/Listening/WordFilter [mi] Everytime I learn a new word, I start hearing it on TV and reading it (even though I never heard it before on a regular basis). People I've talked to say they experience the same thing. Their only explanation is that I'm paying more attention to that particular word because I just learned it and it isn't just some crazy coincidence. The problem is that I'm the kind of guy who has to look up every word I hear and don't know. If I'm to believe the explanation for this phenomenon, I'm inadvertantly ignoring words I don't know, which is something I have a hard time believing. What's really going on? tag:ask.metafilter.com,2005:site.14040 Sat, 15 Jan 2005 00:43:39 -0800 coincidence language observationbias synchronicity words zelphi