In this thesis, three fundamental elements necessary for the perception of humor were discussed: incongruity (the juxtaposition of mismatched ideas and/or images), absurdity cues (internal and external signs that an incongruity is not to be taken seriously), and cognitive pleasure (the psychological relief and/or self-satisfaction derived from seeing an incongruity as absurd).;Based on the characteristics of humor, it was hypothesized that whether individuals saw something ironic and subsequently humorous would depend on (1) whether or not they possessed the mental skills necessary to consider simultaneously two opposing points of view, and subsequently to perceive ironic incongruity; (2) whether or not they would use impressions of another's laughter to read a naive perspective as absurd, and (3) the extent to which they received pleasure or amusement from the resolution of a naive perspective as absurd.;To investigate these predictions, fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders were each presented with two of four stories that played upon a protagonist's unsuspecting nature towards some unseen event, revealed at the end of a story.;Results showed that twelfth graders were more likely than fourth and eighth graders to explain (1) their amusement at a protagonist's remarks by pointing out that they knew something that the protagonist did not (i.e., dramatic irony); (2) their amusement at a secondary character's remark by pointing out that the character believed something other than what his words suggested (i.e., verbal irony), and (3) their amusement at a story outcome by indicating that it made a protagonist look foolish for believing whatever he or she did (i.e., situational irony). Furthermore, while fourth graders tended to rate remarks and story outcomes as more amusing in general, the twelfth graders and, to a lesser extent, the eighth graders were more likely to demonstrate a link between higher ratings and the appreciation of dramatic, verbal, and situational irony. There was, however, some evidence to suggest that under certain circumstances where opposing perspectives are made particularly salient, even ten-year-olds are able to detect and enjoy ironic incongruity. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)
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