Three children, one in each age cohort (i.e., 4 û 5 years, 7 û 8 years, 12 û 13 years) were asked to participate in the present study. All three children were read a selection of three jokes from a listing provided by the instruction; the three jokes were designed to appeal to the three age cohorts. Recording of participants' reactions was undertaken to determine verbal and nonverbal responses to each joke. A scale was used to assess responses. A score of 1 indicated that the subject found the joke funny or laughed, while a score of 2 indicated a neutral reaction and a score of 3 indicated that the subject thought the joke was "dumb." The following table presents results of the study, using the foregoing scale.
When these data are examined, several trends appear. First, all three subjects responded positively to the job that was expressly written for their age cohort, finding that job funny. Secondly, the subject in early childhood years found all three jokes funny, whereas the younger and older subjects were neutral with respect to the jokes that were not specifically tailored to their age group. What these data suggest is that the subject in the early school years was more open or receptive to each of the jokes that the younger or older subject. Additionally, the data may suggest that younger children and older children may be reacting to jokes on the basis of other factors. For example, the younger child may not have fully understood the more advanced jokes while the older child may have understood them but felt they were "beneath" them.
Several methodological problems are inherent in this study. First, a limited sample of no more than one child in each of the three age cohorts makes it all but impossible to draw any general conclusi
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