Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

ELIZA effect
     
         /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)