Light

Familiarity

Definition

Familiarity refers to the simple awareness of something due to previous exposure or experience. It's a basic psychological concept that influences our recognition, memory, and decision-making processes.

Analogy

Think of familiarity like your favorite pair of shoes. You've worn them so many times that you know exactly how they feel and fit. When you see them among other pairs, you instantly recognize them because you're familiar with their look and feel.

Related terms

Recognition: This is the cognitive process that matches information from a stimulus with information retrieved from memory. Like recognizing your favorite song when it comes on the radio.

Habituation: This is a decrease in response to a stimulus after being repeatedly exposed to it. Like getting used to the sound of traffic if you live near a busy road.

Priming: This is an implicit memory effect where exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another stimulus. Like seeing an actor in a movie and then being more likely to recognize them in another film.