Develop. Med. Child Neurol. 1971, 13, 156-161

Crying and Laughing in Imbeciles

David Norris

THE purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of crying and laughing in a group of severely subnorma; children and to make observations on the signifi- cancc of these frequencies to the social and emotional life of such children.

For many years, the folklore surrounding the imbecile has depicted him as being much given to smiling and laughing, and this study arose out of a seminar for teachers at which the belief was expressed that the traditional view of the smiling imbecile presented an accurate appraisal of this aspect of the retarded child.

Material and Method

The sample consisted of 105 mentally retarded children, 90 of whom lived at home and attended local health authority training centres (Groups I and 11) and 15 of whom lived in a hospital for the mentally subnormal and attended the hospital school (Group 111). Children suffering from epilepsy, cerebral palsy, marked hearing loss, defective vision or maladjustment were excluded from the study. Ten normal children (Group IV) who attended a local authority nursery school were also observed, but it must be stressed that these children do not in any sense constitute a control group

and that any results cited are purely for interest. The composition of each group i s shown in Table 1.

All the children had been attending their various schools for a minimum period of 12 weeks and the schools themselves were in new premises with a wide range of facilities and equipment. In the mentally subnormal groups there was an average of one teacher to eleven children; in the normal group the average was one adult to five children.

This study was made over ten consecu- tive school days during ordinary school hours (9.30 a.m.-3.30 p.m.). The forms upon whlch the observations were recorded were divided into two sections-one section to record crying and the other to record laughter-and the teacher was required to note the frequency of both for each individual child. At the same time, a note was made of the activity with which the child was occupied and why the teacher thought the child had laughed or cried. The social context in which the incident occurred was also marked by a symbol to indicate any other children involved in the incident. There were always two teachers present, one observing and one conducting the class.

The activities in which the children were involved were classified as follows :

- -- - -----_ __________ ~ ____ ____ ~~ -----

Bournemouth College of Technology, Lansdowne, Bournemouth, Hampshire.

756

DAVlD NORRJS

I I

TABLE I

Group I 19 46 8 1/12 32 38

Group 111 Group 1V

15 I 7 6/12 4 10'12

Male I Female I Total

-t

5 5

I I I I I

free play; non-musical activity lessons (games and

physical education) ; musical activity lessons; sedentary lessons; meal-times ; adult-controlled non-teaching activities

(marking register, toilet times, assem- bly and dismissal).

Resutts The results of the observatiom are

shown in Figs. 1-4 and in Table 11. I t

I CRYING

will be seen that boys laughed more frequently than girls, older children laughed more often than younger children, and children with Down's syndrome laughed more frequently than those without. If one assumed that each group spent the same proportion of time in the various sociai situations, one would estimate that retardedchifdrenat home (Groups I andII) laughed about seven times as often as those in hospital (Group 111) when solitary or alone with an adult, and some three times as often when in groups of children. There

LAUGHTER

I 46 younger subnormal chi ldren in training cent res

44 o lder subnormal chi ldren in t ra ining cent res

15 subnormal chi ldren i n hospital

1

10 normal chi ldren in n u r s e r y school Group N

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE AND CHILD NEUROLOGY. 1971, 13

Groups I II III N I I1 El N I I1 III N 0

Adult- CI

controlled Other "on-teachmr situations

I I1 I 11

activities

Fig. 2. Frequency of crying in different situations. Fig. 3. Frequency of laughter in different situations in two groups of sabnormal children in training centres.

YOUNGER CHILDREN (Group I)

M F M F M .I F

I I I I I I I I I I I

M F M

OLDER CHILDREN (Group 11)

F M F R

Down's Non-Down's Syndrome Syndrome Groups Down's Non- Down's

Syndrome Syndrome

S o l i t a r y W i t h a d u l t s 111 s i n g l e - s e x g r o u p s

Fig. 4. Frequency of laughter in 90 children with and without Down's syndrome in training centres.

was no significant difference when they children laughed more frequently when were in groups with an adult present. an adult was closely involved in the conduct

Younger children laughed less in a of the lesson than they did in a free play free play situation than older children, but situation. older children laughed more in a free play Children laughed more frequently in situation than in any other activity. Young activities involving movement than in

758

DAVID NORRIS

Solitary In groups In groups with adult With adult alone

TABLE I1

Social circumstances of occasions of laughter and crying

29 3 97 82 4 1 ; 7

36

30 29 -

128 119 30 32 48 62 2 7

I ! Laughter Crying 1 ~ Group Group Group Group Group Group Group Group I I 1 I1 1 I l l 1 IV 1 I ~ I1 ~ I l l ~ IV

Totals 1 303 1 295 I 29 ~ 15 1 73 I 79 ~ 32 I 10

sedentary lessons. Studies undertaken among both Chinese children (Ding and Jersild 1932) and Caucasians (Enders 1927) indicate that laughter is more likely to occur when some form of motor activity is involved. As a general rule, the size of groups involved in laughter ranged in number from 2-5 children and only on two occasions did group size exceed this number. On both of these occasions older children were involved and the laughter was caused by the teacher deliberately fooling around for the amusement of her class. Although it has been stated (Lowen- feld 1935) that children take a particular delight in situations when the adult appears in a ridiculous or humiliating light, this form of behaviour was not otherwise shown in this study.

For Groups I and 11, laughter increases in the following order: meals; sedentary lessons; free play; musical activities; non-musical activities; adult controlled non-teaching activities.

Therewas little difference in the frequency of crying among children living at home and children in hospital. It is not without interesl that, among the hospital children, the greatest single cause of crying arose out of disputes over who should sit next to the teacher. Subnormal children living at home very seldoni involved themselves in conflict situations of this order. It has

been stated (Blatz et al. 1937) that the frequency of crying decreases with increas- ing age, but no such decrease was noted in this study.

Discussion It has been suggested (Thouless 1951)

that the primary social function of laughter is to increase the response of primitive comradeship within a temporary social group, and it is reasonable to suppose that the retarded child’s laughter, regardless of how much it differs in quality from that of the normal child, serves the same purpose. It has frequently been stated (Goodenough 1930, Kenderine 1931, Brackett 1933) that laughter occurs with greater frequency in social than in non- social situations, and the results of previous studies indicate a positive correlation between the frequency of laughter and sociability.

In normal infants, it has been noted that emotional incidents tend to become less frequent as they get older and their emotional behsviour becomes more com- plex (Blatz and Millichamp 1935). Brackett (1933) has also observed a tendency for crying to decrease in frequency with advancing age, but i t is interesting to note that such a tendency was not detected in Groups I and 11 of this study.

The growth of language is one of the most significant factors in the promotion

759

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE AND CHILD NEUROLOGY. 197 1, 13

of adaptive behaviour and the establish- some measure promote and perpetuate ment of adequate relationships, and the inappropriate social responses, to the very considerable amount of laughter ultimate detriment of the total development shown by children in Groups I and I1 is more likely to reflect defective ideation and a poverty of language than a happy

child‘s l ~ ~ U a g % but closer investigation

of retarded children.

. Acknowledgements: I wish to thank Dr. J. A. C. disposition. Laughter is part Of the ~ ~ ~ ~ k l i ~ , County Medical Oficer of Health, County Council of Essex, for his permission to

may well demonstrate that for the severely undertake this work and for his encouragement. My thanks are also due to Mr. W. H. Leak, statistician to the County Health Department, for his help in the preparation of the data and to all those teachers who so willingly took part in this

retarded child it is also a compensatory systemofexpression. This apparent reliance upon laughter, however, may well in study.

SUM MARY

A study of crying and laughing in imbeciles at school is described, with particular refer- ence to the situations in which these forms of behaviour occur. The results illustrate differences between children with and without Down’s syndrome, and also show that retarded children living at home laugh more than normal children do but that the difference in crying between the two groups is not significant. It is also shown that retarded children living in hospital laugh less frequently than retarded children living at home. The significance of laughter in the language development of retarded children is discussed.

RESUMC

Pleurs et rires chez l’imbkcile L’itude porte sur le pleur et le rire de l’imbkcile a I’ecole, en fonction de la situation dans

laquelle ces comportements se manifestent. Les risultats montrent la diffirence entre mongoliens et non mongoliens et indiquent que les enfants retardis vivant dans leur farnille rient plus que les enfants normaux sans que la diff6rence dans le pleur entre les deux groupes soit significative. 11 est 6galement indiqui que les enfants retardis vivant a I’hbpital rient moins friquemment que les enfants retardts vivant dans leur famille. La signification du rire dans le diveloppement du langage de I’enfant retard6 est discutie.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Weinen und Lachen bei Inibeiilen Eine Untersuchung iiber Weinen und Lachen bei Imbezilen in der Schule wird

beschrieben mit besonderer Berucksichtigung der Situationen, bei denen diese Verhaltens- formen vorkommen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen Unterschiede zwischen Kindern mit und ohne Mongolimus auf und auch die Beobachtung, daB retardierte Kinder, die zu Hause leben, mehr lachen als normale Kinder, der Unterschied im Weinen zwischen den beiden Gruppen jedoch nicht signifikant ist. Es wird auch gezeigt, daB retardierte Kinder, die in Krankenhausern leben, weniger hadig lachen als die zu Hause lebenden Kinder. Die Bedeutung des Lachens in der Sprachentwicklung retardierter Kinder wird diskutiert.

760

DAVID NOKRIS

RESUMEN

Llanto y risa en imbkciles Se describe un estudio del llanto y la risa en imbkciles en una escuela, haciendo referencia

particular de las situaciones en que tiene Iugar esta clase de comportamiento. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto diferencias entre niiios con o sin sindrome de Down, y muestran tambien que 10s niiios retrasados vivendo en sus casas rien mis que 10s niiios normales, per0 la diferencia en el llanto entre 10s dos grupos no es significativa. Se muestra tambien que niiios retrasados viviendo en el hospital rien con menos frecuencia que 10s nifios retrasados viviendo en el hospital rien con menos frecuencia que 10s nifios retrasasdos viviendo en casa. Se discute el significado del desarrollo de la risa y el lenguaje en niiios retrasados.

REFERENCES

Blatz, W. E., Chant, S. N. F., Salter, M. D. (1937) Emotional Episodes in ?he Child ofSchoof Age. Toronto:

- Millichamp, D. A. (1935) The Development of Emotion in the InJant. Toronto: University of Toronto

Brackett, C. W. (1933) ‘Laughing and crying of pre-school children.’J. exp. Ednc., 2, 119. Ding. G. F., Jersild, A. T. (1932) ‘A study of laughing and smiling of pre-school children.’J. genet. Psycho!.,

Enders, A. C. (1927) ‘A study of the laughter of the pre-school child in the Merrill-Palmer Nursery School.’

Goodenough, F. 1,. (1930) ‘Interrelationships in the behavior of young children.’ Child Develop., 1,29. Kenderdine, M. (1931) ‘Laughter in the pre-school child.’ Child Deiielop., 2, 228. Lowenfeld, M. (1935) Play in Childhood. London: Victor Gollantz. Thouless, R. H. (1951) General and Social Psychology. London: University Tutorial Press.

University of Toronto Press.

Press.

40, 452.

Papers, Michigan Acad., Arts &Letters, 8.

JOURNAL OF MENTAL DEFICIENCY RESEARCH Vol. 15, Part 4. DECEMBER 1971

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Hepatitis and Hepatitis-associated Antigen (HAA) in Down’s Syndrome 0. Dieirichson, M. Dyggve, Margareta Mikkelsen, P . Peiersen and J. Siene. Metabolic Immaturity in Mental Retardation: Quantitative Relationships of Lactate Dehydro- genase Isozymes Down’s Syndrome and Immunoglobulins Platelet-rich Plasma 5-Hydroxytryptamine, Urinary 5-Hydroxy-Indoleacetic Acid and Trypto- phan Ingestion in Mongols The Pathological Findings in a Case of Argininosuccinic Aciduria L. Crome and N. E. Fyance. p-Chlorophenylalanine’s Effect on Avoidance Conditioning and its Interaction with Amphetamine J. E. Boston. The Cat-cry Syndrome (5p-) in Adolescents and Adults E. Niebuhr. A Study of Hemispherical Transmission P . E. Sylvester and R. Roy. Congenitally Absent Permanent Teeth Among Mongols and their Sibs Book Reviews.

Editor; DR. B. W. RICHARDS, St. Lawrence’s Hospital, Caterham, Surrey, CR3 5YA, England Sponsored by: THE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR MENTALLY HANDICAPPED CHILDREN, 86 Newman

Street, London, W l P 4AR, England, from whom copies may be obtained

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