A history of education as expressed in the NEA Journal cartoons. (RA)

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)

Investigates positive and negative perspectives of self-disparaging humor. (MH)

Recounts a study designed to determine the age at which sex differences first begin to appear and relates various aspects of children's behavior to the level of humor responsiveness. (MH)

A total of 40 children in the three primary grades were studied to determine if they would donate more to a worthy cause after having been exposed to a humorous situation, in contrast to exposure to a serious one. The children who had heard a serious story about sharing donated slightly more to help Ethiopian refugees than did children who had…

Children approximately three to seven years old were presented with pairs of cartoons and asked to choose the funnier of each pair. Cartoons differed in terms of which of two persons was accidentally victimized by his or her own action or action of the other person (e.g., having paint spilled from a ladder onto one's head). (Author/MP)

Appreciation of cartoon humor was examined among college students categorized on the basis of Bem's Sex Role Inventory. Males preferred sexual humor to absurd humor, while females favored absurd humor. An antifemale bias in humor appreciation was found in masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated males and in masculine and androgynous females.…

The humor element as a reinforcing tool was examined. Experimental group subjects selecting nouns were shown humorous cartoons. Non-noun selection was followed by a humorless cartoon. Results indicated that humor significantly facilitated intentional learning for the low-creative experimental group. (Author/BEF)

Contends that sex differences in response to various types of humor reveal significant personality characteristics. (MH)

The IPAT Humor Test of Personality was administered to 140 master's students who were enrolled in a Student Personnel and Counselor Education program. Results indicated that differential responses to humor stimuli by male and female counselor trainees were significant in the areas of hostility, creativity and interpersonal interactions between the…

Studied 40 first through third graders to determine whether they would donate more to a worthy cause after being exposed to a humorous situation or to a serious one. The difference in giving was not significant. (RJC)

An assessment of the occurrence of three forms of humor (responsive, productive, and hostile) during the activities of 30 nursery school children. The three humor forms were not significantly correlated. The relation of the ongoing activities and the pattern of humor exhibited, along with the significant sex differences in humor expression are…

This paper presents a research review conducted to determine whether there is empirical support for the idea that people can benefit both emotionally and physically from humor. Special attention is given to stress and coping since these concepts have been of particular interest to humor researchers. The document begins with a discussion of the…

While research on humor in children has increased in the past 20 years, there is less information on adult humor. The Humor Assessment Instrument (HUMA) was developed as part of an ongoing humor intervention project. HUMA was used to interview 398 adults on their perception of humor in the media, humor among acquaintances, humor in parents, most…

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)