Psychology-Facial Feedback Hypothesis Experiment Replication - Coursework Example

Facial Feedback Test German psychologist, Fritz Strack and colleagues, came up with a hypothesis in 1988. The hypothesis stated that people who hold a pen in their teeth find jokes to be funnier for them than those who hold them in their lips. In order to see if this hypothesis is true I held an examination using two groups and a comic strip I printed from the internet called Today’s Dogg. The strip is a single image of a dog that is staring into an empty dog-bowl saying, “Feed me”. Next to the bowl is a phone and text which reads “Buy a smart phone.

It does everything.”Results of the test The two groups of five were taken into two different rooms and I briefed them on what they should do. Group A was the group that held the pens in their teeth and Group B is the group that held the pen in their lips. After a few minutes I received the results. Group B’s average rating was around 3.4 as Group A’s average rating was 4.2. However, I took an extra step, I called upon other friends and family members who have not taken the exam or know anything about the experiment.

I had them repeat the test and the result were as follows: Group B’s Rating was 3.3 and Group A’s rating was 3.9. Group A had rated the strip to be funny compared to the other group which rated as average. With this I can conclude that Fritz Strack’s Hypothesis is right. This test does show that holding a pen in one’s teeth makes jokes funnier, but why? I believe that the working muscle groups can cause discomfort. When holding the pen in the teeth a person does not need much strain to keep the pen in place.

Holding the pen by the lips however requires balancing and applying a firm hold with muscles that are generally weak. On the other hand, it is believed that smiling can make a person happy. Can a person holding the pen by their teeth horizontally affect his/her reaction to humor? Is there a different reaction if they hold the pen pointing out of the mouth? Possible external effects could include wallpapers. Wallpapers can be of different colors and designs. Colors are known to affect the human emotion; blue induces calm while orange induces excitement.

Objects in the rooms and their states can also affect psyche. Other effects could be how the people in the groups react to humor. Some people easily find humor in simple situations and my family are of that kind. The consistency of the results could improve by conducting repeated tests on different groups. In order to pick up better results, I could have experimented to find an answer to these questions. I could have the tests retaken with the groups holding the pens in different positions while using different but similar humor.

These people could be strangers placed in a plain looking room so the external environment can be controlled. In conclusion, the experiment proved Stracks’ hypothesis. It also shows that people have the same reaction to a funny situation and that exposing the teeth ( such as smiling) do have positive effects on others.ReferenceGilchrist, Guy. "Today’s Dogg By Guy(Got a Smartphone and still have questions) Gilchrist Feb. 24, 2011." Todays Dogg™ by Guy Gilchrist | Comics & Cartoons that Celebrate the Love & Laughter of Dogs. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. http://www.

todaysdogg.com/archives/todays-dogg-by-guygot-a-smartphone-and-still-have-questions-gilchrist-feb-24-2011/>.