This is a good example of this other thing I've been running into stories of recently: When someone realizes / figures out / gets used to the fact that people in some particular situation or mental state show a certain pattern of behavior, and then start a) looking for and seeing that pattern even when what they're seeing may not exactly match it, but bears some resemblance, and b) further, assuming that every instance of such a pattern of behavior must necessarily indicate the same underlying cause they've got in mind.

There oughta be a word for this one, too...