Article
Constructing Something Funny: Levels of Associative Connection in Tom Swifties
Journal of General Psychology
(2005)
Abstract
In the present study, redundancy (low, medium, or high association between the adverb and sentence content) and contextual connection (presence vs. absence of a meaning-based connection between the adverb and other information in the sentence) were manipulated systematically in Tom Swifties (single-sentence wordplays in which a pun is based on the adverb at the end of the sentence). Sixty-nine university students provided ratings of each Swifty's humorousness, cleverness, and coherence and of their reactions to each (tendency to smile, laugh, and groan). Added context led to greater perceived coherence. In keeping with optimal level of arousal arising from resolution of incongruity, an inverted-U redundancy effect was obtained for all scales except "groan." The authors suggest that a social setting is a required but not a sufficient condition for a pun to evoke a groan. It also requires material of greater length that includes some build-up, as found in a fable or shaggy-dog story.
Keywords
- Humor,
- Pun,
- Word play
Disciplines
Publication Date
July, 2005
Publisher Statement
Published by the Taylor & Francis Group
Citation Information
Louis Lippman and Sarah L. Tragesser. "Constructing Something Funny: Levels of Associative Connection in Tom Swifties" Journal of General Psychology Vol. 132 Iss. 3 (2005) p. 231 - 242 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/louis-lippman/9/