Humor and Mental Effort in Learning

This study investigated the effects of humor on learning, specifically focusing on the variables of mental effort, perceived self-efficacy, perceived demand characteristics, achievement, and attitude towards instructional content. This research is based on the work of Gavriel Salomon (1984) and is a modified replication of his research. Salomon’s theory of symbolic coding is presented and applied to the area of humor and learning. The study also found that humor is generally perceived as an easier, better way to learn, while also requiring more effort in order to comprehend content. One important outcomes was that humor seems to have a function and dysfunction with regard to learning.

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