Scientific article
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English

Stimulus Characteristics Affect Humor Processing in Individuals with Asperger Syndrome

Published inJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 40, no. 4, p. 438-447
Publication date2010
Abstract

The present paper aims to investigate whether individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS) show global humor processing deficits or whether humor comprehension and appreciation depends on stimulus characteristics. Non-verbal visual puns, semantic and Theory of Mind cartoons were rated on comprehension, funniness and the punchlines were explained. AS individuals did not differ to the control group in humor appreciation of visual puns. However, they had difficulty understanding and appreciating Theory of Mind cartoons and provided mentalistic explanations less frequently than controls suggesting that humor processing is strongly related to the cognitive requirements that the stimuli pose on the perceiver. Furthermore, AS individuals referred in all conditions more frequently to non-joke relevant details. Therefore, humor processing is also influenced by their detail-oriented processing style.

Keywords
  • Asperger syndrome
  • Humor Theory of mind
  • Cartoons
  • Empathizing
  • Local–global processing
Research groups
Citation (ISO format)
SAMSON, Andrea Christiane, HEGENLOH, Michael. Stimulus Characteristics Affect Humor Processing in Individuals with Asperger Syndrome. In: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2010, vol. 40, n° 4, p. 438–447. doi: 10.1007/s10803-009-0885-2
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Article (Published version)
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
Journal ISSN0162-3257
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