ABSTRACT
There is considerable controversy over whether humor develops during infancy or whether it is an adult prerogative. One hesitates to estimate the frequency of the occurrence of humor. Humor is familiar to most people both through its early appearance and persistence, and through its intimate occurrence in their lives. The relationship between humor and play is a topic that recommends itself for early consideration as one of the foundations on which to build the structure of our speculation. Visualized graphically, certain phases of relationship constitute areas in which humor and play can be seen to overlap one another. Another important overlap of humor and play is found in the “spontaneous-thoughtful” balance that became such a problem during experiment of counting smiles and laughs. Riddles—different from humor and play and yet also somewhat of a crossbreed of the few—attract considerable interest during the years five to eight.
