Concept · Cognitive Bias: Memory biases and distortions
Cryptomnesia (inadvertent plagiarism)
Origin: Taylor, 1965; Brown & Murphy, 1989
Biological Parallel
Young songbirds internalize melodies from adults, later 'inventing' songs that are actually learned patterns—source amnesia allows cultural transmission while feeling like innovation. Cryptomnesia occurs because memory marks 'what' more strongly than 'where from': the brain prioritizes storing useful patterns over their provenance. This is efficient cultural learning: absorbing group knowledge without the overhead of tracking every source.