Humor as a negatively accelerated function of the degree of incongruity

The method of limits with weights was employed to determine whether a positive or inverted-U relation described the function between the degree of incongruity and indicators of humor. The degree of incongruity was defined as the difference between the mean of six previous Comparisons and a seventh heavier Comparison ranging from 250 to 7040 grams. Facial expressions and humor and surprise ratings to the seventh Comparison increased in a negatively accelerated fashion with the degree of incongruity. Downward trends in humor indicators with increased incongruity did not occur, and thus the inverted-U relation was not supported. Studies finding an inverted-U relation were interpreted as being the result of the incongruous stimulus coming from another dimension rather than from within the same dimension as the internal standard.     

Resolution of complex decisional conflicts as a function of degree of avoidance

The relationship between difficulty of conflict resolution and degree of avoidance was investigated in three experiments using imaginary conflicts consisting of choosing to have more or less of certain personal characteristics. Double forms of conflict were used to control for complexity of choice. In the first experiment, it was found that double approach-approach conflicts were resolved more quickly than double approach-avoidance which in turn were faster than double avoidance-avoidance. The second experiment showed a similar result using scaled judgments of subjective difficulty. In the third experiment, the basic finding was shown to be independent of situational pressure by permitting an undecided choice. The basic finding was also shown to be independent of individual differences in social desirability.     

Philosophy as a kind of courage

It is possible to reveal and to examine the collective and social fields of consciousness experimentally. An account is given of planned experiments based on quantitative calculations, which indicate that the effects of individual and collective fields of consciousness on matter may elicit directly observable physical results. Moreover, it is shown that collective coherent consciousness fields may enhance the physical effects of consciousness at a significant rate. The predicted results have a significance in our picture of our consciousness, in self‐assertion and dynamising of consciousness, the expansion of collective fields of consciousness, and thus the raising of the level of consciousness for humanity.