Leffectiu

Leffectiu is a term used in speculative cognitive science to denote a proposed feedback mechanism in which affective states influence perception, judgment, and memory encoding by tagging incoming stimuli with emotional valence. Proponents imagine that emotional arousal amplifies attention to certain features, biases encoding, and modulates subsequent interpretation of events through a loop between emotion and cognition. In this account, language and signaling cues can trigger affective tagging, shaping learning even when the stimuli are otherwise neutral.

The term is rarely used outside theoretical discussions and some fictional contexts. It does not represent a widely recognized neurolinguistic mechanism, and empirical support remains limited. The coinage is heterogeneous; some usages describe Leffectiu as a dynamic, context-dependent process involving amygdala–prefrontal circuits, while others treat it as a heuristic concept for modeling emotion–cognition interactions.

Etymology: Leffectiu appears to be a neologism combining elements suggesting emotion and effect, with various attributions across different authors. Because the term is not standardized, definitions vary by source.

In current discourse, Leffectiu is mainly discussed as a conceptual tool for exploring how affective appraisal can shape attention and memory, rather than as an established neurological mechanism. Researchers typically contrast it with established models of emotion–cognition interaction and propose empirical tests to distinguish it from related processes.