Exploring enigmas: Information seeking after exposure to virtual reality awe elicitors

Abstract

Because of awe's properties as a knowledge emotion, awe elicitors can increase awareness of knowledge gaps, boost scientific interest, and promote inquiry. However, the relationship between awe and exploratory behavior, such as information seeking, remains unclear. Using a multi-method approach, this study asked how and to what extent awe fosters information seeking. This question was examined through a two-pronged approach. First, in a laboratory setting, participants (n = 32) were exposed to a variety of awe elicitors through a virtual reality (VR) head-mounted display. Participants' quantitative and qualitative responses were gathered immediately after exposure in the laboratory as well as 24 h later through questionnaires. Second, after establishing a stratified sample of participants who voluntarily conducted information seeking (n = 8), the study shifted to phenomenologically-informed interviews. This study found that exposure to specific VR scenes piqued participants' curiosity, especially toward representations of phenomena with unknown or unexplained origins. However, self-motivated exploration only occurred in limited circumstances, particularly toward awe elicitors tinged with supernatural causality. In sum, this study introduces a new research direction within information science, illustrates how understudied awe elicitors pique curiosity, and provides a nuanced, qualitative report on the phenomenon of technology-induced awe.