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correspondent inference theory

a model describing how people form inferences about other people’s stable personality characteristics from observing their behaviors. Correspondence between behaviors and traits is more likely to be inferred if the actor is judged to have acted (a) freely, (b) intentionally, (c) in a way that is unusual for someone in the situation, and (d) in a way that does not usually bring rewards or social approval. See also attribution theory. [proposed in 1965 by U.S. social psychologists Edward E. Jones (1926–1993) and Keith E. Davis (1936–  )]

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Psychology term of the day

January 22nd 2025

diffraction

diffraction

n. the bending or scattering of waves as they pass through an aperture or around the edge of a barrier. Diffraction most often refers to this phenomenon in light waves, but it may occur with waves of any type, including sound waves, radio waves, water waves, and so forth.