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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0208 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Cryptomnesia

Experiencing a remembered idea as if it were original.

Reasoning·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Experiencing a remembered idea as if it were original.

Plain-English Definition

Experiencing a remembered idea as if it were original.

Feynman Explanation

Your great idea may be someone else's, forgotten.

Core Principle

Experiencing a remembered idea as if it were original.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Experiencing a remembered idea as if it were original.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Strategic novelty is often unacknowledged recall.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Your great idea may be someone else's, forgotten.

Examples

Everyday
  • 'Original' strategies that turn out to have been heard at a conference last year.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Strategic novelty is often unacknowledged recall.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Cite sources even when you think you don't have one. Write down where ideas came from.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Strategic novelty is often unacknowledged recall.
Amplifying Incentives
Strategic novelty is often unacknowledged recall.
Org Failure Modes
Strategic novelty is often unacknowledged recall.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Cite sources even when you think you don't have one. Write down where ideas came from.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Cite sources even when you think you don't have one. Write down where ideas came from.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Cite sources even when you think you don't have one. Write down where ideas came from.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0208 · COG
Cryptomnesia
CrAbAbstractionsABAdaptive BiasABAdditive BiasAAAffirming a DisjunctADAgent DetectionARAlder's RazorAlAlgorithmsAMAll Models Are WrongABAllegiance BiasAFAnecdotal Fallacy

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.