Question

psychologists gregory bryant, dacher keltner, and colleagues investigated cross - cultural perceptions of spontaneous (real) laughter and volitional (fake or forced) laughter. study participants from 21 societies, including those in austria and samoa, listened to randomized recordings of 18 spontaneous laughs taken from natural conversations between pairs of women and 18 volitional laughs produced separately by 18 different women in response to an instruction to laugh. analysis of the participants evaluations of the laughs prompted the team to conclude that the ability to distinguish between spontaneous and volitional laughter appears to be universal across cultures. 10 which potential finding from the teams study, if true, would most directly support the teams conclusion? a. an assessment of the effect of demographic variables on judgments of laughter type in austria, samoa, and the other societies in the study revealed that participants evaluations were correlated with the economic conditions of the societies in which participants live. b. the overall rate of correct judgments by participants was 64%, substantially better than chance, and spontaneous and volitional laughs were recognized at similar rates in austria, samoa, and the other societies in the study. c. acoustic features of spontaneous laughter, such as pitch and intensity, have measurable patterns both within and across societies. d. a variety of people from austria and samoa evaluated the recordings in the study, and no significant differences in listeners judgments of laughter types were found.

Explanation:

The team's conclusion is that the ability to distinguish between spontaneous and volitional laughter appears to be universal across cultures. Option B directly supports this by showing that the overall rate of correct judgments by participants was substantially better than chance and that spontaneous and volitional laughs were recognized at similar rates across different societies (Austria, Samoa, and others). This indicates a cross - cultural consistency in the ability to make this distinction.

Answer:

B. The overall rate of correct judgments by participants was 64%, substantially better than chance, and spontaneous and volitional laughs were recognized at similar rates in Austria, Samoa, and the other societies in the study.