Humour appreciation as a function of canned laughter, a mirthful companion, and field dependence: Facilitation and inhibitory effects.

Abstract
The effects of canned laughter and a mirthful companion on field-dependent and field-independent people were examined. Undergraduate females (184) who had been administered the Portable Rod-and-Frame Test were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions defined by the presence or absence of canned laughter and by the presence or absence of a mirthful confederate. As subjects rated the funniness of single-frame cartoons characterized by aggressive humor content, their behavior was videotaped and subsequently scored for frequency and duration of laughter and smiling. Results supported the prediction that the mirthful confederate would enhance measures of humor appreciation. No support was obtained for a similar prediction concerning canned laughter. The canned laughter and confederate manipulations interacted significantly. Subjects accompanied by the confederate, but not subjects alone, laughed less frequently when canned laughter was present than when it was absent. Of 3 predictions involving cognitive style, only 1 received partial support. The enhancement of laughter by the confederate was greater for field-dependent than for field-independent subjects. Results were interpreted in terms of social facilitation and psychological reactance.

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