Intuitively, it would seem that moral development and aggressive humor address many of the same issues in that both are concerned with judgments about interpersonal conflict and inequality of exchange. This study examined the relation between level of moral development and appreciation of aggressive humor. Community college students (N=190) were…

Previous research has suggested that behavioral differences between shy and not shy persons may be explained by differences in inhibition rather than differences in interpersonal skills. To investigate the behavior of high and low social anxiety subjects in both ambiguous social situations and in explicitly structured ones, three studies using…

Two speech events, narration and joking conversation, are analyzed from speech samples of Hawaiian 5- to 7-year-olds. An underlying iterative routine was found which allows for both stories and joking to be produced jointly in a contrapuntal style. (Author/RM)

The importance of laughter and humor to enhance education, and special education in particular, is addressed. A sense of humor is an attitude, and humor together with enthusiasm helps students enjoy the learning process. Humor can make students become more alert, and can have very positive influences on affect. A funny remark, a pleasant…

Perhaps because of their familiarity with joke telling, students often do their best writing when using humor. In both telling jokes and creating humorous works, students need to develop a strong sense of audience, an awareness of the importance of vivid description, a strong sense of purpose, and the ability to use punctuation for effect. The…

This collection of jokes, riddles, and limericks is designed to be used to enliven the presentation of mathematical material by use in the classroom, on the bulletin board, or to add levity to test papers. Chapter topics include: (1) The Classics and Other Stories; (2) Jokes; (3) It Figures; (4) Quickies; (5) Riddles; and (6) In Verse. An index…

The hypothesis that verbal humor may serve as a technique of social influence was tested for the first time under experimental conditions. Humor-moderating attempts at social influence and an examination of potential intervening variables tested the prediction that verbal humor would produce compliance. In a dyadic bargaining paradigm, at a…

In a study of satire as persuasion, two experiments were conducted--one to determine whether dogmatism affected the understanding and appreciation of editorial satire, the second to determine the same about intelligence as measured by the Scholastic Aptitude Test. In the first experiment, 116 college students read three satirical editorials. After…

This paper argues that the "back to basics" movement is regressive and that regression is the characteristic mode of fear-ridden personalities. It is argued that many people in American society today have lost their ability to laugh and do not have the sense of humor which is crucial to a healthy mental state. Such topics as necrophilia, mental…

In order to test the hypothesis that dogmatism is related to the understanding and appreciation of editorial satires, 116 University of Georgia speech students read and reacted to three editorial satires (two by Art Hoppe and one by Art Buchwald) arranged in booklets in three different orders. Students were asked to choose from a list of five…

Children's use of humor in hospital settings and ways hospital personnel might encourage positive uses of humor are discussed in this paper. Three questions are raised: (1) How is humor viewed in hospitals treating children? (2) How can developmental psychology help us understand children's humor? (3) What implications does an understanding of…

According to the "Arizona English Bulletin" (AEB), not enough attention is given to humor or satire in high school English classes. AEB suggests that if the English class is a place for bringing reality into the curriculum, humor must become a part of the total English program. Featured in this issue are 25 essays on various aspects of…

Uses examples from five books to illustrate the use of humor in teaching linguistic concepts. (DD)

This article explains the usefulness of humor as a rapport-building technique and emphasizes its value in counseling the student who is an involuntary referral. (Author)

Examines Cicero's "Defense of Caelius" public address emphasizing his mastery of the art of persuasive speaking through the use of humor and his ability to adapt to the rhetorical situation and the psychological needs of the audience. (MH)