The following analysis was carried out in two parts. First, a quantitative measure was developed of the strength of the tendency toward conformity within social groups exposed to ambiguous situations. And second, two experiments were conducted in an attempt to reproduce empirically the confederating function of humor hypothesized in groups facing such situations. Exactly what is the effect of the opinions of others in the joking situation on our own? The results of these experiments are clear-cut. The effects upon individuals of majority opinions of humor have been investigated By means of a simple experimental design and analytical model we have produced and observed the ways in which norm formation and social conformity are engendered in the joke setting. Despite the “cautious” operational definition of the convergence concept, the basic finding of convergence nevertheless seems fairly absolute and pertinent to the individual's day-today social relations.

The relationship between job satisfaction and public altruism within police is investigated. A meaningful, statistically significant correlation ( r = .38, p = .01) was found between these variables, particularly among more recent police department employees ( r = .55, p = .02). The happier the police are with police work, the more helpful they are toward the public, and vice versa. Although no causal relationship is established, the data are interpreted as a serious obstacle to the movement for professionalization of police.

Ratings for degree of interest in hobbies, TV programs, reading topics and sports, together with the leisure activities they encouraged in their children, were obtained from 1270 adults. Ten relatively independent factors, with a fair degree of similarity across sex, were arrived at by principal component methods. The analysis was carried out on individual items rather than a priori scores, and the subjects were required to rate only those activities with which they were familiar. The factors were more specific than those identified previously, with normally combined interests such as entertainment and films emerging as separate components. As a first step towards identifying the characteristics of people with different interests, the relationship of each factor to personality and demographic variables was investigated.There have been many studies on the structuring of vocational interests but, with a few notable exceptions, recreational interests have been neglected. An early factorial classification of vocational interests, based on the Strong Vocational Interest Blank, was by Thurstone (1931). His "centroid" method gave four factors which were interpreted as Science, Language, People and Business. Lurie (1937) conducted a similar analysis on the Allport-Vernon Study of Values and identified four factors labeled as Social, Philistine, Theoretical and Religious. Eysenck (1970), in reviewing subsequent studies, concluded that very little has been added, apart from results in general agreement with the original analyses.The first attempt at a statistical classification of recreational interests was by Thorndike (1935). He identified four correlated groups of interest items that were replicated across two samples of college graduates. These were Utility (reading the newspaper, politics, etc.), Ideas and Fancy (reading fiction, theatre or movies), Music, and Outdoor Sport. Another study on a small number of recreational interests was described by Vernon (1949). Interests in a biographical questionnaire, completed by 1000 Royal Navy recruits, were factor analyzed. A general factor emerged that was labeled Cultural and Intellectual Level (photography, acting, reading versus football, metalwork, cooking). Four subsequent factors were extracted and labeled Mechanical (metalwork), Athletic, Social. and Domestic (house repairs, gardening). A factor analysis of a large number of occupations and recreations, but reduced to 95 scores, was performed by Guilford et al. (1954). Separate analyses were carried out for two large groups of Air Force personnel, with 17 factors being replicated of which four involved recreations. These were interpreted as Adventure versus Security, Esthetic Appreciation, Esthetic Expression, and Need for Diversion.

Does the professional work role require greater intelligence of job incumbents than the semiprofessional or nonprofessional work roles? This study reports that consistent with the popular perspective (1) professions require more intelligence, verbal and numerical ability of job incumbents than semiprofessions and nonprofessions for satisfactory performance of the work role and (2) semiprofessions require more intelligence and verbal ability of workers than nonprofessions.

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