Humor and Horror: Different Emotions, Similar Linguistic Processing Strategies

234 Pages·2022·13.313 MB·English

by  Straßburger, Lena

LenaStraßburger
HumorandHorror
Humor Research
Editors
Victor Raskin
Willibald Ruch
Volume 13
Lena Straßburger
Humor and
Horror
Different Emotions, Similar Linguistic Processing
Strategies
ISBN978-3-11-076468-0
e-ISBN(PDF)978-3-11-076474-1
e-ISBN(EPUB)978-3-11-076480-2
ISSN1861-4116
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2021951792
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Acknowledgments
Firstandforemost,IwouldliketothankProf.Dr.PetraSchumacherwhoopened
my eyestoanacademic careerand welcomed me to herteamwith enthusiasm.
Throughherknowledge,hergroundbreakingadviceandtheexcitingtasks,Iwas
abletogrowbothprofessionallyandpersonally.HerXLinCLabmadeitpossibleto
conductmyexperiments.Prof.Dr.MartinBeckeralwaysgavemevaluableadvice,
raisedtherightquestionsandmadethisbookapleasuretoworkon.Iwouldlike
tothankJun.-Prof.Dr.RomanBartoschforbeingopentomypsycholinguisticap-
proachandformakingsurethatmyfirstchapterdidnotbecomeahorror.Further-
more, I would like to thank my colleagues Dr. Hanna Weiland-Breckle and Dr.
BarbaraTomaszewicz-Özakınfortheirgreatcommitment!
Iwould like tothankthegraduateschool a.r.t.e.s.for afull-time scholarship
andmanytravelgrants.IwouldalsoliketothankDr.JeffreyPowerandYing-Ying
Chowforproof-readingmywork!
I thank myparents for their unconditional love! But the biggestthank goes
tomyhusband.Hehasalwaysturnedmymomentsofhorrorintohumor.Thank
youforbeingbymyside.
Finally,Iwouldliketothankthetwoeditors-in-chiefWillibaldRuchandVic-
torRaskinaswellasDr.NatalieFecherandKirstinBörgenforpatientlyaccompa-
nyingmypublicationprocessinMoutonDeGruyter’sHumorResearchseries.
ThepresentworkhasbeenacceptedbytheFacultyofArtsandHumanitiesof
theUniversityofCologneasadissertationunderthetitle“It’samatteroflifeand
death–incongruityinhumorandhorror”.Ithasbeeneditedbeforepublication.
Cologne,November2021 LenaStraßburger
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110764741-202

Contents
Acknowledgments V
Listoffigures IX
Listoftables XI
Listofabbreviations XIII
Introduction 1
1 Horror:Howtoscreambecauseofincongruity 4
1.1 Originsandiconographyofhorrorinliteratureandfilm 5
1.2 Horrortheories:Whyfearanddisgust? 16
1.2.1 Art-horror’semotions 16
1.2.2 Psychoanalytichorrorapproaches 22
1.2.3 Cognitivehorrorapproaches 25
1.3 Intermediateresults 34
2 Humor:Howtosmileaboutincongruity 37
2.1 Humortheories:Fromantiquitytomodernapproaches 39
2.2 Cognitiveapproaches:Incongruityandhumor 50
2.2.1 Script-basedtheoriesofhumor 53
2.2.1.1 SemanticScriptTheoryofHumor 54
2.2.1.2 GeneralTheoryofVerbalHumor 58
2.2.1.3 GTVHrevis(it)ed:Pragmaticsandcontext 62
2.2.1.4 Spacestructuringmodel 68
2.2.2 Gradedinformativeness,optimalinnovation,
andrelevance 69
2.3 Incongruityinhumorandart-horror 72
2.4 Intermediateresults 80
3 Humor&horror:Processingincongruity 84
3.1 Measuringprocessingcosts 85
3.2 Comparingincongruitytypesexperimentally 86
3.3 Evidenceforincongruitydetectionandresolution 89
3.4 Evidenceforemotionsafterincongruity 96
3.5 Individualdifferencesinincongruityprocessing 103
3.6 Intermediateresults 108
VIII Contents
4 Humor&horror:Anexperimentalcomparison 113
4.1 Stimulinorming:QuestionnaireIandII 114
4.1.1 QuestionnaireI 115
4.1.1.1 Methods 115
4.1.1.2 Results 119
4.1.1.3 Discussion 122
4.1.2 QuestionnaireII 123
4.1.2.1 Methods 123
4.1.2.2 Results 125
4.1.2.3 Discussion 129
4.2 Readingtimes:ExperimentI 130
4.2.1 Methods 132
4.2.2 Results 136
4.2.3 Discussion 138
4.3 Facialexpressions:ExperimentII 139
4.3.1 Methods 147
4.3.2 Results 149
4.3.3 Discussion 155
4.4 Neuro-electricactivity:ExperimentIII 158
4.4.1 Methods 164
4.4.2 Results 169
4.4.3 Discussion 173
5 Discussion&conclusion 176
5.1 Summaryofconceptualfindings 176
5.2 Summaryofexperimentalfindings 179
5.3 Incongruityprocessingmodelofhumor&horror(IPM) 187
5.4 Desiderata&outlook 191
References 195
Index 219
List of figures
Figure1 Information-processingmodelofhumor(adaptedfromSuls1972:85) 52
Figure2 SyntagmaticLM(adaptedfromAttardo,HempelmannandDiMaio
2002:18) 59
Figure3 ReasoningLM(adaptedfromAttardo,HempelmannandDiMaio
2002:19) 59
Figure4 GTVH’ssixKnowledgeResourcesinhierarchicalorder 61
Figure5 ExpandedKnowledgeResourcesoftheGTVH 64
Figure6 Humorimplicatureson7levels(basedonCanestrari2012:65–73) 65
Figure7 Continuumofcontrarietydependingoncontrarietytypeandinvariance
offurtherfeature(basedonCanestrariandBianchi2013:17–18) 67
Figure8 Correlationofincongruitytypeandhumoroussuccess(basedonCanestrari
andBianchi2013:20) 67
Figure9 ExpandedKnowledgeResources(equalsFigure5) 73
Figure10 Incongruityprocessingstepsinart-horrorandhumor 76
Figure11 Rothbart’smodelofaffectiveresponsestoincongruity(adaptedfrom
Rothbart2017:39) 79
Figure12 ThreephasesoftheneuralCircuitModel(NCM)(adaptedfromChan,Chou,
Chen,Yeh,Lavallee,LiangandChang2013:175) 98
Figure13 ResultsofQuestionnaireIregardingmeansperconditionandquestion.
Scariness,surprise,andfunninesswereratedona7-pointLikertscale
(1=notatall;7=absolutely),errorbars=sd 120
Figure14 ResultsofQuestionnaireIIforall67triplets.Meansperconditionand
questions.Scariness,funninessandsurprisewereratedona7-pointLikert
scale(1=notatall;7=absolutely),errorbars=sd 126
Figure15 ResultsofQuestionnaireIIforthe36triplets.Meansperconditionand
questions.Scariness,funniness,andsurprisewereratedona7-pointLikert
scale(1=notatall;7=absolutely),errorbars=sd 127
Figure16 Schematicillustrationofpredictionsofreadingtimes(RT)forthethree
conditionsart-horror,humor,andcoherence 132
Figure17 Logresidualreactiontimesforthesixtargetsegmentsoverallconditions,
errorbars=sd 137
Figure18 Comparisonofthemuscularanatomyofthehumanface(leftpicture)and
itsnotationinactionunits(AU),hereAU1,2,4,6,and7(rightpicture).The
encirclednumberindicatestheendingpointofamovement(Ekman,
Friesen,andHager2002b:15 140
Figure19 ComparisonofAU12(lipcornerpuller)asaschemaoftheoblique
movement(leftpicture)anditsfacialexpression(rightpicture)(Ekmanet
al.2002b:175,484).Sidenote:thefacialexpressionontherightsidealso
includesAU25(openmouth) 141
Figure20 ComparisonofAU6(cheekraiserandlidcompressor)asschema(left)and
facialexpression(middle).CombinationofAU6andAU12(right)(Ekman
etal.2002b:15,468,485) 142
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110764741-204
X Listoffigures
Figure21 ComparisonofAU10(upperlipraiser)andAU9(nosewrinkle)asschema
(leftpicture)andfacialexpressions(middle:AU10,right:AU9)(Ekman
etal.2002b:91,95).Sidenote:MiddlepicturealsoshowsAU25(opened
mouth) 143
Figure22 ComparisonofAU1and2asschema(left)andfacialexpression(middle:
AU1,right:AU2)(cf.Ekmanetal.2002b:15,466) 144
Figure23 FacialexpressionsofAU4(browlowerer,left)anditscombinationwith
AU1andAU2(right)(cf.Ekmanetal.2002b:466,472) 144
Figure24 FacialexpressionsofAU5(upperlidraiser,left)anditscombinationwith
AU1andAU2(right)(cf.Ekmanetal2002b:467,472) 145
Figure25 Visualsummaryofpredictedfacialexpressions.1:happiness(AU6,12).2:
disgust(AU9),3:disgust(AU10),4:fear(AU1,2,4);5:fear(AU1,25)
(Ekmanetal.2002b:472–474,485).Sidenote:In3,AU25(openmouth)is
activatedadditionally 145
Figure26 FACSresults–meanfrequencyofactionunits(AU)perconditiononand
afterthecriticalsegment,andpercentageofAUof148AUshownacross
conditionsandlocations 152
Figure27 Schemaofrecordingprocedure(adaptedfromHung2011:46) 159
Figure28 Illustrationofelectrodecap(extendedversion)accordingto10/20system
(adaptedtorecordedelectrodepositionsfromLuck2014:167) 167
Figure29 Electrophysiologicalresultsofthegrand-averagedERPsfor9selected
electrodesidesfortheconditionscoherence,horror,humor,and
incoherence 170
Figure30 Incongruityprocessingmodelforhumorandart-horror(IPM) 188