Correspondent Inference Theory

Definition

A correspondent inference, sometimes also called a correspondent trait inference, is a judgment that a person's personality matches or corresponds to his or her behavior. For example, if we notice that Taliyah is behaving in a friendly manner and we infer that she has a friendly personality, we have made, or drawn, a correspondent inference. Or, if we notice that Carl is behaving in an aggressive manner and we conclude that he is an aggressive sort of person, we have drawn a correspondent inference. Sometimes it is reasonable to infer that people's personalities correspond to their behavior and sometimes it is not reasonable. Correspondent inference theory outlines when it is appropriate to infer that a person's personality corresponds to his or her behavior.

Background

Correspondent inference theory ...

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