Takano R, Matsuo A, Kawano K. Development of a Japanese version of the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S): A structural topic modeling approach.
F1000Res 2023;
12:515. [PMID:
37900197 PMCID:
PMC10611950 DOI:
10.12688/f1000research.134275.2]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Awe, a complex emotion, arises in response to perceptually and conceptually vast stimuli that transcend one's current frames of reference, which is associated with subjective psychological phenomena, such as a sense of self and consciousness. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the Awe Experience Scale (AWE-S), a widely used questionnaire that robustly measured the state of awe, and simultaneously investigated how the multiple facets of awe related to the narrative representations of awe experiences.
METHODS
The Japanese AWE-S was created via back-translation and its factor structure and validity was investigated through an online survey in Japan.
RESULTS
The results revealed that the Japanese AWE-S consisted of the same six factors as the original (i.e., time, self-loss, connectedness, vastness, physiological, and accommodation) and had sufficient internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and also Japan-specific characteristics. The structured topic modeling generated seven potential topics of the descriptions of awe experiences, which were differently associated with each factor of the Japanese AWE-S.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of awe and reveal the constructs of awe in Japan through cross-cultural comparisons. Furthermore, this study provides conceptual and methodological implications regarding studies on awe.
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