Continuous Valence-Corrected Intelligence: A Source-Grounded Representation of Intelligence as Situated Correction

This preprint introduces Continuous Valence-Corrected Intelligence, a theoretical framework for understanding intelligence as an ongoing process of self-world alignment regulated by valence. Rather than treating emotion as a secondary signal attached to cognition, the framework proposes that valence functions as a continuous correction mechanism shaping attention, action selection, memory, model revision, and adaptive generalization. The paper connects affective cognition, embodied intelligence, and self-correction to argue that intelligence is not only episodic problem solving, but a continuous regulatory process through which systems maintain coherence with changing internal and external conditions.