The Continuity Reflex Model (CRM): A Neuroethical, Computational, and Dual-Memory Framework for Emotion Beyond Stimulus–Response

Classical neuroscience and cognitive psychology largely define emotion as a reaction to external stimuli, reinforcement, or reward-based learning. However, everyday human experience demonstrates that emotion frequently arises without any direct sensory input. Imagination-induced physiological responses, trauma recall without triggers, and internally generated emotional states challenge stimulus–response and reward-centric models.This preprint introduces the Continuity Reflex Model (CRM), a theoretical framework in which emotion emerges from continuity resonance between Temporary Memory (TM) and Bold Memory (BM) rather than from external stimuli alone. In CRM, present impressions—real or imagined—interact with lifetime memory signatures, producing emotional output through a bounded continuity function that incorporates decay and stabilizing parameters.The model extends beyond psychology into computational systems and neuroethics, demonstrating relevance for affective artificial intelligence, closed-loop brain–computer interfaces, and emerging neurotechnologies. CRM explicitly addresses ethical concerns including autonomy, consent, mental privacy, neurorights, and cognitive sovereignty, proposing safeguards to preserve human identity and emotional integrity.By reframing emotion as a memory-driven continuity mechanism rather than a stimulus-driven reflex, CRM offers a unified conceptual foundation for understanding emotion across biological and artificial systems and invites further interdisciplinary and empirical investigation.