The Psychology of Humor
1st Edition
Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Issues
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Description
The Psychology of Humor: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Issues examines theoretical perspectives and empirical issues concerning the psychology of humor. Theoretical views of humor range from the physiological to the sociological and anthropological. The relations between humor, laughter, and smiling are considered, along with the connection between collative variables and arousal.
Comprised of 13 chapters, this book begins with an introduction to the history of thought and major theoretical issues on humor, followed by a description of models of different aspects of humor. The next section deals with empirical issues in which selected research areas are given detailed attention. The relations between humor, laughter, and smiling, on the one hand, and collative variables and arousal, on the other, are analyzed. Subsequent chapters explore the cognitive origins of incongruity humor by comparing fantasy assimilation and reality assimilation; a two-stage model for the appreciation of jokes and cartoons; and the social functions and physiological correlates of humor. The relationship between arousal potential and funniness of jokes is also explored, together with humor judgments as a function of reference groups and identification classes. The final chapter presents an annotated bibliography of published papers on humor in the research literature and an analysis of trends between 1900 and 1971.
This monograph will be of interest to psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and behavioral scientists.
Table of Contents
List of Contributors
Foreword
Preface
Part I Introduction
Chapter 1. Early Conceptions of Humor: Varieties and Issues
I. Introduction
II. Varieties of Early Humor Theory
III. Issues Arising from Earlier Humor Theories
IV. Conclusion
References
Part II Theoretical Perspectives
Chapter 2. Humor and Its Kin
I. Affinities of Humor
II. Collative Variables and Pleasure
III. Experiments on Collative Variables and Humor
IV. Laughter
V. The Smile
VI. How Does Humor Differ?
VII. Conclusion
References
Chapter 3. On the Cognitive Origins of Incongruity Humor: Fantasy Assimilation Versus Reality Assimilation
I. Introduction
II. Stimulus Discrepancy and Affective Arousal
III. Fantasy Assimilation Versus Reality Assimilation
IV. The Development of Fantasy Assimilation
V. Humor in Infancy?
VI. Factors Influencing Mode of Assimilation
VII. Mode of Assimilation and Affectively Salient Humor
VIII. Summary
References
Chapter 4. A Two-Stage Model for the Appreciation of Jokes and Cartoons: An Information-Processing Analysis
I. Introduction
II. The Basis of Joke and Cartoon Humor
III. Comparison with Other Cognitive Theories
IV. Suggestions for Research
V. Conclusion
References
Chapter 5. A Model of the Social Functions of Humor
I. Introduction
II. A Progress Report
III. A Model of the Social Functions of Humor
IV. Conclusion
References
Part III Empirical Issues
Chapter 6. Physiological Correlates of Humor
I. Introduction
II. The Essence of Humor
III. Arousal: Humor and Curiosity
IV. An Experimental Study
V. Discussion
References
Chapter 7. The Relationship Between Arousal Potential and Funniness of Jokes
I. Arousal and Appreciation of Humor
II. Measurement
III. The Experiment
IV. Summary
References
Chapter 8. Enjoyment of Specific Types of Humor Content: Motivation or Salience?
I. Introduction
II. Experiment I: Salience and Drive in Humor Appreciation
III. Experiment II: Salience and Appreciation for Variations in Humor Thema
IV. Discussion and Conclusions
References
Chapter 9. On Being Witty: Causes, Correlates, and Consequences
I. Introduction
II. A Paradigm for the Problem
III. The Literature: What Do We Know?
IV. Adding Evidence: Empirical Explorations
V. For the Future
References
Chapter 10. Humor Judgments as a Function of Reference Groups and Identification Classes
I. Problems and Paradoxes
II. Review of Experimental Literature
III. Reasons Why IC's Construct Is Preferable to KG
IV. Conclusion
References
Chapter 11. Humor, Laughter, and Smiling: Some Preliminary Observations of Funny Behaviors
I. Introduction
II. Naturalistic Observations of Audience Laughter: In the Wilds of Knoxville and Elsewhere
III. Laboratory Studies: Cosby and Diller, and Cambridge Too
IV. Conclusion: Future Directions and Speculations
References
Part IV Overview and Conclusions
Chapter 12. Advances Toward an Understanding of Humor: Implications for the Future
I. Contributions of the Present Volume
II. An Overview
References
Appendix
Chapter 13. An Annotated Bibliography of Published Papers on Humor in the Research Literature and an Analysis of Trends: 1900-1971
I. Introduction
II. A Survey of Methodology in Empirical Studies: 1950-1971
III. An Annotated Bibliography of Published Papers on Humor in the Research Literature: 1900-1971
Author Index
Subject Index
Details
- No. of pages:
- 294
- Language:
- English
- Copyright:
- © Academic Press 1972
- Published:
- 28th July 1972
- Imprint:
- Academic Press
- eBook ISBN:
- 9781483288543
About the Editor
Jeffrey H Goldstein
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