Abstract
While considerable research has been performed on the development of humor in older children, little is known about the origins of verbal humor in infancy. Data from a systematic diary study of early lexical development were used to provide a comprehensive account of one child's earliest manifestations of verbal humor from age 15 to 30 months. Symbolic play and conceptual mastery were found to be developmental precursors to the production of incongruity jokes. The emergence of each of three classes of jokes over time was directly related to conceptual complexity, with simple mislabelings occuring earliest, and word jokes occuring last. Incongruent label jokes tended to involve labels that were semantically related to the actual (correct) label. The role of playfulness cues in the interpretation of events as humorous and in the early emergence of humor was considered. The relation of these results to current models of humor development is discussed.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
