Surprise and Humor in Response to Discrepantly Short and/or Heavy Stimuli in a Psychophysical Task

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of the number of discrepant events (0 to 2) on the interruption of facial expressions and on ratings of surprise and humor. Discrepancies in either height or weight dimensions were created by presenting stimuli that were very short or very heavy in a psychophysical task. Expressions of mirth, surprise, and humor occurred in reaction to the discrepancy in height or weight. The effects of the discrepancies were not cumulative in interrupting behavior; instead, the discrepancy in height (first) tended to negate the effect of the discrepancy in weight (second).