Newswise — A University of Southern Indiana psychology professor with more than 25 years teaching experience and interests in abnormal psychology, introduction to psychology, perspectives on humor, and psychometrics, perceives academia in general and the discipline of psychology to be humor-impaired.

Dr. Joseph J. Palladino, chair of the USI Psychology Department, said, "We tend to denigrate humor in academia. We ought to know better given the attention humor can draw to material."

Palladino suggests the field of academia is filled with people exhibiting humor-impaired personality disorder (HIPD). He and colleague Dr. Mitchell M. Handelsman of University of Colorado at Denver edit the Psi Chi newsletter for the National Honor Society in Psychology. In one issue Palladino writes, "Clinicians agree that individuals with HIPD do not suffer from this disorder; rather they seek to share their symptoms as widely as possible.

In another excerpt he writes, ""¦most HIPDs see jocularity as the single most harmful influence in the world today, rivaling even nuclear war and all-text Web pages.

Palladino teaches a course on humor, and admits humor is one of the few characteristics that separate us from lower animals. He said, "One can argue that low animals are intelligent. They certainly problem-solved; they can make tools; and some have language. One characteristic that separates us is laughter and humor. Why do we shy away from it?"

Seniors who enroll in the humor class learn early that the class isn't what one might think.

"It's about the most fun that I have, Palladino said, "but at the same time, it's actually quite tough. I ask students, as part of the final exam, to pick one of three major theories of humor and defend their choice as the most comprehensive. The choices are incongruity, release and relief, and superiority and hostility."

He will present his take on humor in teaching when he gives the keynote address, "Myth and Mysteries of the Humor Impaired on April 1, 2006 at the 25th annual Mid-America Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference (MAUPRC), a conference he originated in 1981 to recognize and encourage research by undergraduate psychology students. The conference now attracts participants from 20 institutions from Michigan, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky, and students deliver 100 paper and poster presentations.

The MAUPRC is sponsored by a consortium of schools, including USI, Franklin College, Thomas More College, Eastern Illinois University, University of Indianapolis, and Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.

He is available to comment on injecting humor into a class, one of his keys to success in teaching. He said, "I am afraid that many in our profession fail to understand that classroom rule number one is 'Get their attention.' What better way than using humor? Note that I am not suggesting that the professor become a stand-up comic. I have always argued that humor in class should be appropriate and flow from the material."

Last year Dr. Palladino was invited to submit a chapter for The Teaching of Psychology in Autobiography: Perspectives from Exemplary Psychology Teachers, published by the Society for the Teaching of Psychology of the American Psychological Association.

University of Southern Indiana is a comprehensive public university in Evansville, Indiana. The campus has a student enrollment of 10,000 and offers undergraduate degrees in five colleges and master's degrees in 10 academic programs. The USI Website is http://www.usi.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT
Register for reporter access to contact details
CITATIONS

Mid American Undergraduate Psychology Research Conference