autonoetic

adjective

au·​to·​no·​et·​ic ˌȯ-tə-nə-ˈwe-tik How to pronounce autonoetic (audio)
psychology
: relating to or characterized by the capacity to be aware of one's own existence as an entity in time
Among the capacities thought to be uniquely human are autonoetic consciousness, the aspect of self-awareness that allows us to imagine our own experiences in different places at other times …R. Shayna Rosenbaum et al., Science, 23 Nov. 2007
It [episodic memory] makes possible mental time travel through subjective time, from the present to the past, thus allowing one to re-experience, through autonoetic awareness, one's own previous experiences.Endel Tulving, Annual Review of Psychology, 2002
Autonoetic consciousness is the capacity that allows adult humans to mentally represent and to become aware of their protracted existence across subjective time.Mark A. Wheeler et al., Psychological Bulletin, May 1997

Word History

Etymology

auto- entry 1 + noetic

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of autonoetic was in 1882

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Cite this Entry

“Autonoetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autonoetic. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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