Methods

Subjects
Subjects will be recruited from current undergraduate students at the University of Washington. Recruitment will occur through flyers, postings, student newspaper ads, and as extra credit for students enrolled in introductory Psychology courses. Ideally, 30 males and 30 females will participate in Phase I. In Phase II, 150 males and 150 females who are new to the study will participate.

Measures

A standardized IQ test will be administered to all potential subjects. Subjects participating in Phase I will be additionally subjected to multiple mediums of humor (move clips, videos of stand-up routines, cartoons, written jokes, etc.). These subjects will be given an objective rating scale for the personal mirth acquired from each humorous item. In addition to the IQ test, subjects participating in Phase II will additionally be administered a cognitive task followed by subjection to a humorous item. They will also answer a self-report scale of perceived humor and undergo physiological measurements indicating levels of anxiety and stress. Zygomatic facial expressions (smiling movements) will also be observed by experimenters.

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