Investigating satirical discourse processing and comprehension: the role of cognitive, demographic, and pragmatic features

Abstract

Satire is a subtle type of figurative discourse and is still relatively under-studied from the perspective of figurative language researchers. The purpose of this study is to investigate cognitive, demographic, and pragmatic factors previously suggested to influence satire processing and comprehension but which have yet to be studied using behavioral methods. Specifically, this study examines Need for Cognition (NFC; the desire to engage in cognitively difficult tasks), general knowledge, demographic measures such as language background, and affective perceptions of humor, sincerity, and positivity. Sixty-one participants (32 non-native English speakers) read satirical and non-satirical news reports taken from The Onion and Science Daily, respectively, both published in the United States. Perceptions of sincerity, humor, and positivity, reading times, and written interpretations of the intended meaning for each text were recorded. Results from statistical analyses suggested NFC significantly influenced satirical text reading times. Moreover, language background and perceptions of sincerity significantly influenced satire comprehension. These results highlight an interplay between individual differences during satire processing and comprehension, and work to validate some, but not all, theoretical predictions for satire processing and comprehension.

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“…For instance, if we consider lighter forms of humor playing on non-tendentious topics, differences associated with demographics for example age and gender, emerge: brighter and less tendentious forms of humor are judged as funnier and less aversive by women and by older adults (Forabosco and Ruch, 1994;Hofmann et al, 2020;Ruch et al, 1990). In addition, personality aspects such as sensation seeking, optimism, and coping have been related to production as well as appreciation of humor (Ford et al, 2016;Martin, 1996;Ruch and Hehl, 1998;Ruch and Heintz, 2013;Skalicky, 2019). Surprisingly, the impact of such individual factors was rarely considered with reference to the appreciation of dark humor or tragedy-inspired humor.…”

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“…Moreover, since the current paper focused on affective outcome variables (perceived humor, enjoyment and appreciation), future research could also include cognitive dependent variables, such as comprehension and perceived complexity (e.g., LaMarre et al, 2009;Skalicky, 2019).…”

“…Because previous research has shown that effects of satirical news can differ between higher and lower educated participants (e.g., Cao, 2008), it would be worthwhile to conduct a conceptual replication of these experiments in a broader sample. Moreover, since the current article focused on affective outcome variables (perceived humor, enjoyment and appreciation), future research could also include cognitive dependent variables, such as comprehension and perceived complexity (e.g., LaMarre et al, 2009; Skalicky, 2019).…”

“…has not yet received much attention in the irony literature is the genre of satirical news (Skalicky, 2019) -as exemplified by American websites such as The Onion (www.theonion.com) and The Babylon Bee (www.babylonbee.com).…”

“…For instance, whether comments are rated as ironic can depend on the speaker’s occupation since some occupations are more associated with the use of irony (e.g., comedians, poets) than others (e.g., judges, doctors; Katz & Pexman, 1997; Pexman et al, 2000). A social context that has not yet received much attention in the irony literature is the genre of satirical news (Skalicky, 2019) – as exemplified by American websites such as The Onion (www.theonion.com) and The Babylon Bee (www.babylonbee.com).…”