dispositional inferences, correspondence bias

n. Dispositional inference refers to the process by which the perceiver infers a correspondent trait from the target's behaviors. By making such an inference, the perceiver assumes that the individual's behavior is truly reflective of his/her enduring dispositions, that these traits do not change across time and situations, and that situational constraints are unlikely to have influenced the target^,s behavior. When the perceiver makes correspondent dispositional inferences from a limited sample of behaviors and ignores situational constraints on the behaviors, the perceiver commits the correspondence bias.                                              

- EWMA, CYC

► See also THEORIES or BEHAVIORAL CAUSALITY