THE HUMOR PREFERENCES OF DICHOTOMIZED GROUPS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (SPECIFICALLY, CONFORMISTS AND NONCONFORMISTS) WERE STUDIED TO DETERMINE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AND TO ESTIMATE THE DEGREE OF RELIABILITY OF RESPONSES TO A HUMOR PREFERENCE INVENTORY. A TOTAL OF 111 MALE SOPHOMORE STUDENTS IN HIGH SCHOOL IDENTIFIED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE HOME ROOM TEACHERS SERVED AS THE STUDY POPULATION. PICTORIAL HUMOR RATHER THAN VERBAL STIMULI WAS SELECTED AS THE VEHICLE OF HUMOR. GROUPS OF CONFORMIST AND NONCONFORMIST SUBJECTS RESPONDED TO INVENTORY ITEMS BY INDICATING WHICH OF TWO CARTOONS IN EACH ITEM THEY BELIEVED TO BE MORE AMUSING. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY SHOWED THAT REACTIONS TO PICTORIAL HUMOR CAN BE USED TO DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN DICHOTOMOUS GROUPS OF STUDENTS. INTELLIGENCE APPEARED TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE HUMOR PREFERENCES NOTED BY THE INVENTORY. IN VIEW OF THE DISCRIMINATIVE EFFECTIVENESS AND THE RELIABILITY OF THE RESPONSES TO THE INSTRUMENT, IT WAS BELIEVED THAT A FULLY-NORMED HUMOR PREFERENCE INVENTORY WITH MULTIPLE SCALES FOR SELECTED PERSONALITY TYPES WOULD BE FEASIBLE. (JH)