Humorous lectures and humorous examples: some effects upon comprehension and retention. created by Robert M. Kaplan and Gregory C. Pascoe

Studied the effect of humor and humorous examples on the comprehension and retention of lecture material. Intact classes of university students ( N = 508) viewed either a serious lecture or 1 of 3 versions of a humorous lecture. The 3 versions of the humorous lecture included humorous examples related to the concepts in the lecture (concept humor), unrelated to the concepts (nonconcept humor), or a combination of concept and nonconcept examples (mixed humor). A test of comprehension and retention was given twice: immediately after the lecture and 6 wks later. Immediate comprehension was not facilitated by the use of humorous examples. Upon retesting, however, retention of concept humor material was significantly improved by viewing a lecture with humorous examples illustrating concepts. Earlier research findings are accounted for in terms of these results.