Speaker
Description
While the psychology of awe has been extensively studied through visual stimuli, the role of acoustic environments as a driver of self-transcendent experience remains underexplored. This study investigates how structural properties of room acoustics—such as reverberation, spectral balance, and clarity—influence perception, behavior, and auditory awe.Drawing on frameworks of awe (perceived vastness and need for accommodation) and predictive processing, we examine whether variations in acoustic environments induce measurable changes in the action–perception loop. Participants are immersed in a controlled multichannel listening environment and assigned to one of three conditions: a minimally reverberant control space, a moderately reverberant “Warm” environment, and a highly reverberant “Vast” environment inspired by monumental architecture.Participants engage in sound-making and listening tasks, including vocalization, speech, rhythmic interaction, and instrumental exploration. Behavioral responses are quantified using vocal sound pressure level, inter-onset interval variability, and interaction patterns, while subjective experience is assessed through standardized affective scales and self-report measures of awe and self-perception.We hypothesize that highly reverberant environments will promote exploratory interaction, alter temporal perception and rhythmic stability, and influence vocal production and speech clarity. These acoustic features are proposed to form an “acoustic signature of awe,” enhancing perceived vastness, immersion, and awe-related experiences.This work links room acoustics to measurable behavioral and emotional responses and provides a framework for studying the sonic dimensions of awe in immersive environments.