Patternicity is a word made up by Michael Shermer, he defined it as follows:
"the tendency to find meaningful patterns in both meaningful and meaningless noise"2
He explains this term in his Ted talk, which can be found here. He writes about this in Scientific American, saying (small quote on how humans, in general, make inferences from the things we see and hear):
"Sometimes A really is connected to B; sometimes it is not. When it is, we have learned something valuable about the environment from which we can make predictions that aid in survival and reproduction. We are the ancestors of those most successful at finding patterns. This process is called association learning, and it is fundamental to all animal behavior, from the humble worm C. elegans to H. sapiens.4
Another term is apophenia, which means, according to Merriam Webster:
"the tendency to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated or random things (such as objects or ideas)"5
This may not be what you are looking for exactly, because the patterns that this term refers to are not actually there. I added it anyway because it fits your description of "a cognitive aspect, i.e., what goes on in the mind when these diverse factors start coming together to form that cohesive whole".
manpreet![Tuteehub forum best answer]()
Best Answer
2 years ago
Basically, the specific ability to keep multiple distinct points in mind, at the same time, so as to formulate a better understanding of their interrelation (allowing them to see the bigger, unifying picture whilst others see seemingly unrelated points, and thus, miss the point altogether). Picture a tinker toy set but instead of wooden rods, spools, and connectors, you have words and concepts coming together to form an ever increasing whole. There is consilience, the "the linking together of principles from different disciplines especially when forming a comprehensive theory" -- but I am thinking more of a cognitive aspect, i.e., what goes on in the mind when these diverse factors start coming together to form that cohesive whole.