A study was conducted to investigate the effects of humor on the performance of college freshmen on the Nelson Denny Reading Post Test. The subjects, 36 college freshmen from two developmental reading improvement classes, were randomly assigned to experimental A or B or control sample groups. Students had previously taken forms F and C of the test…

Many authors of adolescent novels follow a formula when developing a pattern of action. The formula, however, is not predictable and may be one of action, humor, or ideas. (JH)

Examines the relationship between the level of moral development, (as conceptualized by Piaget), and children's appreciation of humor. (DP)

The author outlines his 25-year attempt to understand the dynamics of humor. He views humor as the sine qua non of self actualization and maturity. The humorist has an adamant sense of his own significance without having to prove himself better than others or to prove his worth through some role performance. Connections with humankind--past,…

This tongue-in-cheek article is designed to help those people who have no interest in studying, do not like studying, and have no intention of studying. This method is directed to students who live in a dormitory. (Author)

The effect of humor in the classroom was explored by comparing the performance of third and fifth grade students who worked on a humorous test with that of students who worked on a nonhumorous test. Humor depressed third graders' performance but had positive and negative effects on fifth graders' performance. (Author)

A study examined the effect of humor on the perceived credibility, character, and authority of an advertisement and on the recall of that advertisement. Two groups of subjects each heard two radio spot announcements, one humorous and one serious. Two different products were advertised, so that the first group of subjects, 117 college advertising…

A study involving 59 undergraduate speech communication students investigated relationships between intelligence, understanding of editorial satire, and appreciation of satire. The students were asked to read three satirical essays and then to pick one of five statements that best described the thesis as intended by the author. Then each satire…

While it is fashionable to use the semantic pun in advertising (for example, the meaning extension in "dollars and sense"), a lot of this humor slips past the American reader; not only unintentional bloopers that get past the proofreader but also intentional puns that escape the audience. Advertising humor has other pitfalls as well--the…

The roles of humor and anxiety in test performance were investigated. Measures of trait anxiety, state anxiety and achievement were obtained on a sample of undergraduate students; the A-Trait and A-State scales of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were used. Half of the students received additional humorous items in the achievement test. The…

Based on the premise that educators are vitally interested in literary moments that engage the reader instantly, this paper discusses books that provide enjoyment for children. After suggesting that the most important "basics" are those that promote an exploration of language through literature, the paper notes the importance of good literature…

Prompted by current concern with the dearth of empirical research on the role of humor in communication, the author prepared this bibliography to aid future researchers in the field. Although the entries span the years from 1939 through December 1972, the predominant number of publications represent the years 1966-1972. The fifty-four entries…

In this exploratory study of humor, it was hypothesized that responses to humorous material are related to each person's needs. Form B of the IPAT Humor Test of Personality and the Stern Activities Index were administered to 276 volunteer college students as measures of humor preference and needs, respectively. The results of the study suggest…

Classifies humor as hostile, nonhostile, sexual hostile, and sexual nonhostile. During one week of prime time television, males were portrayed as victims of hostile humor more often than were females. The frequency analysis of humorous disparagement does not reveal discrimination against either sex. Hostile humor was found to be more common than…