A study of metre-sense in poetry

Abstract

A test was constructed in which the task set for the subject was that of observing a sample line of poetry and then identifying, out of a list of four subsequent lines, the one that corresponded most closely with the rhythm or metre of the sample. The first draft consisted of 125 units, and this test was tried out on 21 college students. On the basis of results and reports 39 units were eliminated and a few new ones added. The revised test was given to 90 college students and to a group of eleventh-grade high-school students. The coefficient of correlation of odd and even items was .83. It was found that metre-sense seems to have some positive relationship to intelligence, increases with academic age, but does not seem to be much influenced by specific training, rhythmic sense in music, or sex. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)