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An experiment was conducted to test the general hypothesis, derived from the incongruity theory of humor, that the experience of humor or of the inclination to laugh is a function of the divergence of a perceived state of affairs from the expected state. The hypothesis was tested with weights as stimuli in two designs. In the first the range of expectancy was defined in terms of the proportion of “heavy” ratings in the subject group at various initial weights. In the second the range of expectancy among subjects was assumed to move with experience with various ranges of weights. The results of both designs supported the hypothesis.
Göran Nerhardt (Tue,) studied this question.