Processing Mechanism Humor Effect In Memory

The humor effect in memory refers to the humor can improve the recallperformance. Compared with non humorous material, people will show a memoryadvantage of humorous material. Numerous explanations for the effects of humor onmemory can be offered. Such as a result of physiological arousal, the rehearsalhypothesis, bizarreness effect, emotional significance and so on. This issue mainlyinvestigates the importance of mood in the humor effect. The research presented hereattempted to investigate the effect of humor on memory recall, while taking intoconsideration the major depression as the special participants. Through the majordepression patients does not evoke positive emotions, to explore that humorousadvantage effect is especially in emotional arousal function to achieve in memory.The experiment employed2type of materials (bizarreness and high humor vs.bizarreness and low humor)×2type of participants(patients with major depression vs.normal subjects)mixed experimental design, in which the materials variable waswithin-subject factor and the participants variable was between-subjects factor. Thefindings showed that no matter high or low humorous materials,the Normal subjectswere significantly higher than those of patients with depression on recallperformance.This once again proved that the memory function of major depressionpatients was under average. Whether normal subjects or subjects with depression,humor effects were all found. And they all easily remembered more humor sentences.Results suggest that The processing mechanism of humorous effect in emotionalarousal has played a certain role, but it is not the dominating factor. The present studyalso provided some empirical support for the improvement of memory in patients withdepression.