<jargon> /e-li:'z* *-fekt'/ (From ELIZA) The tendency of
humans to attach associations to terms from prior experience.
For example, there is nothing magic about the symbol "+" that
makes it well-suited to indicate addition; it's just that
people associate it with addition. Using "+" or "plus" to
mean addition in a computer language is taking advantage of
the ELIZA effect.
The ELIZA effect is a Good Thing when writing a programming
language, but it can blind you to serious shortcomings when
analysing an Artificial Intelligence system.
Compare ad-hockery; see also AI-complete.
[Jargon File]
(1997-09-13)
Nearby terms:
ELISP « elite « ELIZA « ELIZA effect » Elk » ELLA » Ellemtel
