Assessing the Experience of Awe: Validating the Situational Awe Scale

Abstract

We introduce the Situational Awe Scale (SAS), a self-report measure to assess the momentary, phenomenological experience of awe. An exploratory factor analysis in Study 1 suggested a four-factor structure (connection, oppression, chills, and diminished self), and provided initial evidence of the measure’s convergent and criterion validity. Study 2 provided evidence for the structural validity of the SAS by confirming the factor structure uncovered in Study 1, and replicated the convergent and criterion validity evidence. Study 3 established that the SAS truly assesses situational awe by demonstrating that SAS scores varied in response to situations that elicit more versus less awe. Finally, Study 4 extended the evidence for the convergent and criterion validity of the SAS to a field setting (Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago). Across four studies, we constructed and validated the SAS, laying the groundwork for fruitful future investigation into the determinants and outcomes of awe.

Influence of Positive and Threatened Awe on the Attitude Toward Norm Violations

“…The interaction, although it was marginally significant, indicated that positive awe and threatened awe have, at least, a different influence on the generosity at the least. Furthermore, the present result corresponds to the previous hypothesis that effects on connection would differ between the types of awe (e.g., eliciter, valence) (Van Cappellen and Saroglou, 2012;Krenzer, 2018), suggesting that positive awe may promote the generosity toward norm violation by emphasizing connection to others with various attributes, while threatened awe does not, because it does not emphasize connection. On the other hand, threatened awe often leads to the enhancement of connections between people and other-focused behavior and culture, alleviating feelings of loss in the face of threatened-awe inducing events (Nomura et al, in press).…”

“…While positive awe strengthens a sense of being connected to everything, threatened awe does not (Krenzer, 2018). If positive awe enhances a sense of connection to other people and even deviators, independently of social hierarchy, it is postulated that threatened awe promotes neither a tolerant attitude nor an intolerant attitude toward others' norm violations; as suggested by previous research, threatened awe may enhance strict attitudes toward norm violations (Gelfand et al, 2011;Gelfand and Lun, 2013;Kastenmüller et al, 2013;Mrazek et al, 2013).…”

“…Awe, then, has general and specific effects depending on its valence (Piff et al, 2015;Gordon et al, 2017;Guan et al, 2019). The influence of awe on tolerance toward others' norm violations may differ depending on the types of awe, as threatened awe does not enhance a sense of connection to everything unlike positive awe (Krenzer, 2018). In line with these findings, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of awe on the attitude toward others' norm violations using both positive awe and threatened awe.…”

“…Moreover, given that induction of positive awe decreases participants' social dominance orientation and promotes environmentalism (Zhao et al, 2018), positive awe releases people from their social hierarchy, and connects them not only with one another but also with non-human objects such as the environment. A previous study that has developed the awe state scale has also revealed that "connectedness" and/or "liberation/connection" is an important factor in positive awe-experiences, which includes items such as "connected to everything" (Krenzer, 2018;Yaden et al, 2019). Positive awe liberates people's attention from the existing self and references, and enhances a sense of connectedness to everything, perhaps depending on the context.…”

Exploring the Awe-some: Mobile eye-tracking insights into awe in a science museum

“…In our own research, we have taken theoretically derived conceptualizations of awe as a basis for developing a self-report measure of transient or situational awe (Situational Awe Scale (SAS); [7]). Hundreds of individuals, participating via online surveys or in the lab, have told us about their experiences with awe.…”