ELIZA effect
<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
|
