Cartoon Reaction Scale with special reference to driving behavior

Abstract

Research suggests that hostility, aggression, and other personality traits may be indicative of problem drivers. Other evidence implies that certain types of humor are related to these personality dimensions. A Cartoon Reaction Scale (with "funniness" response choices) was developed to test the hypothesis that problem and nonproblem drivers would respond differentially and to a significant degree. Out of an original pool of 150 cartoons, 34 achieved discriminatory ability. These cartoons were subsequently administered to new groups of drivers. Reliability coefficients ranged from .77-.80. Validation and cross-validation achieved significance beyond the .01 level. The test's success in separating controls from problem drivers was also demonstrated by a cutoff score. Its predictive ability has not yet been shown. (32 ref.) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)