Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.31724/rihjj.51.1.2

No tools no work. Rhyme as reason effect in proverbs

Mirjana Tonković orcid.org/0000-0002-9145-175X ; Odsjek za psihologiju Filozofskoga fakulteta u Zagrebu
Tonka Marković ; Odsjek za psihologiju Filozofskoga fakulteta u Zagrebu

Abstract

Research shows that the information we process easily, as well as the stimuli we find pleasant and attractive, are perceived as more positive and credible than information conveying the same content but in a less appealing form. The poetic device of rhyme has been shown to increase the perceived truthfulness of a sentence. In this study, we examined whether rhyme in Croatian proverbs influences the perception of their accuracy as descriptions of events and human behaviour, and whether this effect can be reduced by directing participants’ attention to the content of the expression while disregarding stylistic elements. The experiment involved 153 participants aged between 18 and 25 years, and their task was to evaluate the accuracy of the presented expressions. We used rhymed and non­rhymed proverbs in two forms, original and modified, with the modified expressions altered in a way that they do not contain rhyme but retain the original meaning. Half of the participants were instructed to focus solely on their content. The analysis of the results showed that rhyme increases the perceived accuracy of the proverbs, and contrary to expectations, the effect is present even when participants are instructed to focus on their content.

Keywords

rhyme as reason effect; proverbs; processing fluency; Keats heuristic

Hrčak ID:

333923

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/333923

Publication date:

30.12.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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