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Research methods and techniques

Research methods and techniques

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Question 6

Confronting the Infinite: The Experience of Awe

The psychological experience of awe—defined as a feeling of reverential respect mixed with wonder or fear when encountering grand-scale phenomena—is a profound human emotion. Whether triggered by looking at a star-filled night sky, witnessing a majestic mountain range, or viewing an extraordinary work of art, awe is highly subjective and varies greatly from person to person. Because awe is an internal, deeply personal experience, a self-report method is the most appropriate research tool to investigate these emotional states.

A team of researchers is planning to conduct a self-report study to investigate people's experiences and triggers of awe.

Explain how you would conduct a study using the self-report method to investigate the experience of awe. Justify your decisions as part of your explanation. You must refer to:

  • two closed questions you would use
  • two open questions you would use
  • two rating scale questions (one Likert, one semantic differential)
  • how the self-report will be administered (completed by the participants)

You should use your own experience of practical activities to inform your response.

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Markscheme

Research methods and techniques Questions

  1. A Level
  2. /Psychology
  3. /Research methods and techniques

644 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Research methods and techniques. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.

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