AUDIENCES RESPONSE TO JOKES IN SPEECHES WITH AND WITHOUT RECORDED LAUGHS

Two speakers made videotaped speeches containing apt humor twice befor e a live audience; in one presentation the live audience laughed at th e jokes and in the other there was no laughter. 64 students saw one ta pe with laughter, then one without and rated each speaker on ethos sca les and on ''interestingness'' and ''funniness.'' They preferred the s peaker who elicited laughter, but a significant order of speakers made the main findings conditional.