Premium
HUMOR AND INCLINATION TO LAUGH: EMOTIONAL REACTIONS TO STIMULI OF DIFFERENT DIVERGENCE FROM A RANGE OF EXPECTANCY
Author(s) -
Nerhardt Göran
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9450.1970.tb00734.x
Subject(s) - expectancy theory , psychology , divergence (linguistics) , social psychology , range (aeronautics) , test (biology) , developmental psychology , linguistics , paleontology , philosophy , materials science , composite material , biology
An experiment was conducted to test the general hypothesis, derived from the incongruity theory of humor, that the experience of humor or of the inclination to laugh is a function of the divergence of a perceived state of affairs from the expected state. The hypothesis was tested with weights as stimuli in two designs. In the first the range of expectancy was defined in terms of the proportion of “heavy” ratings in the subject group at various initial weights. In the second the range of expectancy among subjects was assumed to move with experience with various ranges of weights. The results of both designs supported the hypothesis.