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naive analysis of action

in attribution theory, a process of reasoning or intuiting by which laypersons determine whether another person (an “actor”) caused a certain action. Also called lay psychology; naive psychology. See correspondent inference theory. [postulated in 1958 by Fritz Heider]

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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.