Psychoanalytic theory predicts that humor preference is a derivative of unresolved childhood conflicts. Analyzed students' (N=104) Rorschach protocols to yield measures of preoedipal fixation. Students ranked jokes from most to least funny. Results showed that the ranking of jokes was a function of the fixation measures for women only. (Author/RC)

Assessed male (N=60) and female (N=60) responses to pictorial humorous sexual material in relationship to degree of sexual expression and personal satisfaction with sexual behavior. Results showed persons with active and satisfying sexual expression enjoyed sexually explicit cartoons and showed less preference for aggressive themes. (LLL)

Investigated humor response to aggressive cartoons using ratings of pain and funniness of cartoons by college students (n=93) and older adults (n=61). Found no significant age differences; however, sex differences were found. Females exhibited an inverted-U relationship between pain ratings and funniness ratings. For males there was no…

A sample of 280 undergraduate students were selected for a study to determine the effect of tendentious and nontendentious humor in college first lecture presentations on students' perceptions of classroom communicative climate. Findings are discussed. (MT)

Examined the impact of humowere aous sexual stimuli on 120 college students. Results showed the importance of personal sexual experience and enjoyment with sexual expression on the reactions to sexual humor. Sexist ideas within sexual humor were significant factor in influencing female appreciation of sexual jokes. (JAC)

Shows that an increased level of humor in commercials was beneficial to recall and purchase intention; increased humor in the television program was detrimental to recall of products advertised; and gender interacted with program humor levels, such that products were viewed less negatively by men when they were exposed to commercials in a more…

Administered Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale and Edwards Personal Preference Schedule to 426 adults, aged 18 through 90. Findings suggest that men create humor more, although women used more coping humor. As age increased, so did humor creativity, coping humor, and humor appreciation. Those who sought to create humor appeared to have need…

Manipulated speaker sex and "sick" jokes/no-jokes in printed speeches are evaluated by college students. "Sick" jokes generally resulted in negative evaluations of both speech and speaker; "sick" jokes may be enjoyed in certain social situations but should probably be left out of formal speeches. (PD)

College teachers were evaluated as to appeal, competence, delivery, and teaching effectiveness and their presentations were analyzed to identify features of humor usage. Correlation coefficients were computed between frequency of use of various types of humor and students' evaluations of their professors. Results indicated differences between male…

Investigated reactions to humorous feminist slogans in these groups: (1) males and females (N=20) over 30 years old who were feminists or strongly sympathetic; (2) female and male undergraduates (N=39) with various levels of sympathy; and (3) 6th, 8th, and 10th grade academically gifted students (N=62). Results suggest gender and feminist sympathy…

This study did not support the following hypothesis: more sexually-oriented jokes will reflect a sexist bias against women than against men. Instead, the findings indicate that joke-tellers of both sexes were more likely to select sexual jokes that discriminated against males. (PD)

High- and low-creative male and female college students were asked to devise humorous captions to cartoons containing sexual, aggressive, or neutral themes. Results indicate that males generated funnier captions than females to sexual and aggressive stimuli but not to neutral stimuli. Moreover, creativity was positively related to humor…

Examines college appreciation of sexual humor. Results show that as sexual content increases in explicitness male appreciation significantly increases in a linear type progression. Females demonstrate greatest appreciation for the most sexually explicit cartoons. Results reflect relaxation of traditional sex role restraints among college females.…

A study focused on investigating perceptions of sexist humor, specifically on how people perceive others' reactions to sexist humor. Subjects, 206 college men and women, rated communication competence and attraction of actors in vignettes depicting 2 different reactions to sexist humor. Results indicated that sex of both the joke teller and the…

Using humor and examples from real-life experience, the book provides advice and information in question-and-answer form for women regarding all aspects of work life in higher education. Chapters cover: graduate school as a rite of passage, and discussions of the demands of graduate study and the commitments required; strategies for finding and…