Psychologkcal Reports, 1975, 37, 1022. @ Psychological Reports 1975
CREATIVITY AND SENSE OF HUMOR L. LYNNE ROUFF Bryn M a w College, B ~ y nMawr, Pa.
In a study on cognitive and personality structure and sense of humor, Rouff (1973) investigated the relationship between creativity and humor comprehension, among other variables. Creativity was defined in terms of a linking together of disparate cognitive elements (Mednick, 1962; Mednick & Mednick, 1967). Comprehending jokes was viewed as requiring the ability to link disparities or incongruities-in the sense of reconciling them in order to "get the joke" (Koestler, 19G4; Maier, 1932). From such observations it was predicted that scores on a creativity rest and on a humor comprehension measure would be positively related. Twenty cartoons, with and without captions, and Mednick's Remote Associates Test were administered to 108 Temple University undergraduates enrolled in introductory psychology classes. Ss were required to write explanations of the point or points of each of the cartoons. These explanations were scored (after McGhee, 1968) on the basis of the degree to which they indicated that S had grasped the main disparity or incongruity comprising the point of a cartoon, and had explained why the disparity aroused humor. The Pearsonian correlation coefficient between comprehension of humor and RAT scores was significant ( I . = 0.37, p < .001). When the effects of intelligence, i.e., SAT scores, were partialled out, the association remained. (rs between humor comprehension and creativity scores with Verbal, Quantitative, and Total scores held constant, respectively were: 0.30, p < .05; 0.37, p < .01; 0.33, p < .01.) These results strongly suggest that comprehension of humor and creative thinking are related and that they have a common basis in the ability to link disparities. This relationship would appear to transcend intelligence. REFERENCES
KOESTLER, A. T h e act o f crealion. London: Hutchinson, 1964. MAJER,N. A Gestalt theory of humor. British jourml of Psychology, 1932, 23, 69-74. MCGHEE, P. E. Cognitive development and children's comprehension of humor. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ohio Scate Univer., 1968. MEDNICK,S. A. The associative basis of the creative process. Psychological Reuiew, 1962, 69, 220-232. MEDNICK,S. A., & MEDNICK,M . T. Examinerr manual: Remote A~sociatesTest. Boston: Houghton Mifflio, 1967. ROUFF, L. L. The relation of personalicy and cognitive structure to humor appreciation. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Bryn Mawr College, 1973.
Accepted September 26, 1972.
CREATIVITY AND SENSE OF HUMOR L. LYNNE ROUFF Bryn M a w College, B ~ y nMawr, Pa.
In a study on cognitive and personality structure and sense of humor, Rouff (1973) investigated the relationship between creativity and humor comprehension, among other variables. Creativity was defined in terms of a linking together of disparate cognitive elements (Mednick, 1962; Mednick & Mednick, 1967). Comprehending jokes was viewed as requiring the ability to link disparities or incongruities-in the sense of reconciling them in order to "get the joke" (Koestler, 19G4; Maier, 1932). From such observations it was predicted that scores on a creativity rest and on a humor comprehension measure would be positively related. Twenty cartoons, with and without captions, and Mednick's Remote Associates Test were administered to 108 Temple University undergraduates enrolled in introductory psychology classes. Ss were required to write explanations of the point or points of each of the cartoons. These explanations were scored (after McGhee, 1968) on the basis of the degree to which they indicated that S had grasped the main disparity or incongruity comprising the point of a cartoon, and had explained why the disparity aroused humor. The Pearsonian correlation coefficient between comprehension of humor and RAT scores was significant ( I . = 0.37, p < .001). When the effects of intelligence, i.e., SAT scores, were partialled out, the association remained. (rs between humor comprehension and creativity scores with Verbal, Quantitative, and Total scores held constant, respectively were: 0.30, p < .05; 0.37, p < .01; 0.33, p < .01.) These results strongly suggest that comprehension of humor and creative thinking are related and that they have a common basis in the ability to link disparities. This relationship would appear to transcend intelligence. REFERENCES
KOESTLER, A. T h e act o f crealion. London: Hutchinson, 1964. MAJER,N. A Gestalt theory of humor. British jourml of Psychology, 1932, 23, 69-74. MCGHEE, P. E. Cognitive development and children's comprehension of humor. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Ohio Scate Univer., 1968. MEDNICK,S. A. The associative basis of the creative process. Psychological Reuiew, 1962, 69, 220-232. MEDNICK,S. A., & MEDNICK,M . T. Examinerr manual: Remote A~sociatesTest. Boston: Houghton Mifflio, 1967. ROUFF, L. L. The relation of personalicy and cognitive structure to humor appreciation. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Bryn Mawr College, 1973.
Accepted September 26, 1972.
