A more accurate term for what you describe would be a clustering illusion[1], and it certainly could be a valid explanation (among other possibilities) for the

A more accurate term for what you describe would be a clustering illusion[1], and it certainly could be a valid explanation (among other possibilities) for the observation made in the article. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clustering_illusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clustering_illusion