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Teaching comprehension of double‐meaning jokes to young children
Author(s) -
Jackson Marianne L.,
Nuñez Rocio M.,
Maraach Dana,
Wilhite Chelsea J.,
Moschella Jp D.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1002/jaba.838
Subject(s) - comprehension , psychology , repertoire , meaning (existential) , reading comprehension , cognition , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , linguistics , reading (process) , psychotherapist , neuroscience , philosophy , physics , acoustics
Various forms of humor are an important aspect of social interactions, even at an early age. Humor comprehension is a repertoire that is said to emerge between the ages of 7 and 11 years, and this is primarily attributed to a child's level of cognitive development. The behavioral literature has suggested that various forms of complex verbal behavior, including the use and comprehension of humor, are learned operants that can be taught using systematic teaching procedures. The current study used multiple exemplar training and a three‐step error correction procedure to teach comprehension of double‐meaning jokes to 4 children (2 females and 2 males) aged between 5 and 6.5 years old. All participants demonstrated humor comprehension and appreciation, across multiple exemplars, following training, and maintained this at follow‐up. Implications for use with clinical populations are discussed.