Does a word exist to describe a situation whereby you discuss something, for example purple bicycles, and thereafter you notice many people riding purple bicycles? Importantly, prior to the conversation, you had never seen a purple bike. I realize purple bicycles are a silly example but it illustrates a concept for which I don't have a word.

deja dit?

Wordmatic

The best nonce word I've read is diegogarcity explained here.

That's a good question! I'm sure there is some psychological terminology for the word you're after. Anyone know a psychologist?

I've seen this in a linguistics context somewhere on language log. I believe they call it "the recency illusion".

The tendency to notice things frequently after you first noticed them and therefore believe that they have only recently started to be around, when in fact they were always there but your first notice of them has "sensitised" you to them.

Yes, Language Log often refers to this, and the related "frequency illusion". Here's one such post, debunking the "Dr Language" column's assertion that the "between you and I" construction has only arisen in the last twenty years: http://158.130.17.5/~myl/langu...archives/002386.html

Last week, as we drove down our main street, I mentioned to my wife that a house was boarded up. She said it had been boarded up since early March. This is a street we use every day and I never noticed the house but now I see it each time we go by.