If someone is less than efficient in using TA and has an imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where one does not actually exist, I just learned today that the term for this is 'pareidolia'. Pareidolia, sounds like the name of a disease that's all too easy to catch! If there are any Pareidolia sufferers out there, back to the basics is the cure!
Anthropomorphism is attributing human qualities to something non-human. I think apophenia is much more general; applying meaning to what has none.
Sounds like "Apopheniais the spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness of unrelated phenomena. The term was coined by German neurologist and psychiatrist Klaus Conrad (1905-1961). Conrad focused on the finding of abnormal meaning or significance in random experiences by psychotic people.Jan 9, 2012"