Response to cartoons and attitudes toward aging.
Although it has commonly been asserted that cartoon images of aging convey deep psychological significance, the relationship between attitudes and cartoon appreciation has received little systematic attention. The present study examined the relationship between responses to cartoons and attitudes toward aging among college students. Subjects rated the funniness of 60 cartoons and completed the Attitudes Toward Aging Inventory, Tuckman-Lorge, and Semantic Differential. Factor analysis revealed four categories of cartoons on aging: Disparagement, Ineffectuality, Obsolescence, and Isolation. No significant relationships were found between attitudes and humor appreciation, although age and education were inversely related to several cartoon themes.
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D001290:Attitude; D002325:Caricatures as Topic; D002359:Cartoons as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013240:Stereotyping; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic