How to escape the stimuli-reader-trap in humour research?

Springer, Matthias : How to escape the stimuli-reader-trap in humour research? Using the Rasch-Model to predict the probability of the humor effect caused by potential humor stimuli. PALA Conference 2022: Style and Sense(s), Universität Aix-en-Provence, 04. - 10. Juli 2022.

Abstract

The trap that every kind of humor research falls into at some point is that every theory and every model that describes the design of humor in texts, pictures and performances etc. has to been proved on reality. This means usually its effectiveness in reception - does the desired effect predicted by the theories actually occur? Or does the model fail because of the subjectivity of the recipient, his ability to recognize the humor or his attitude towards humor, i.e. his humor ability. Theories that do not take the risk of failure into account are already falsified at the first empirical test, when the humor effect does not arise. To avoid this trap, one needs a model that takes into account both the theoretical predicted humor potential of a stimuli as well as the ability of a recipient to perceive that humor. The Rasch model - a probabilistic test theory - takes into account these two influencing variables: Humor potential of a stimulus and humor ability of the recipient, by predicting the probability of experiencing the humorous effect. My contribution presents an experiment in which subjects are presented with ten speech comedy-based stimuli. They are asked to rate their experience on a five-point scale. Based on these data, the humor potential of the stimuli as well as the humor ability of the subjects can finally be calculated.

• Dokumententyp: Konferenzbeitrag (Vortrag)
• Keywords: Humor; Rasch-Model
• Fakultät: Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften > Department 1 > Deutsch als Fremdsprache
• Themengebiete: 100 Philosophie und Psychologie > 150 Psychologie ; 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 370 Bildung und Erziehung
• Sprache: Englisch