Validation of the “Mind-Wandering Spontaneous (MW-S) and the Mind-Wandering Deliberate (MW-D)” scales. Individual Differences in Spontaneous and Deliberate Mind-wandering and the Tendency to Experience Positive and Negative Affect

The Mind-wandering Spontaneous and Mind-wandering Deliberate scales (Carriere, Seli & Smilek, 2013) were first translated into French and then were answered, along with questionnaires measuring overall mind-wandering and attention lapses frequency as well as trait positive and negative affect, by 179 participants through an online survey. Psychometric properties of the MW-S and the MW-D were assessed and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the French version of the scales have satisfactory validity and reliability. Correlational analyses demonstrated that spontaneous mind-wandering was positively associated with trait negative affect and uniquely, negatively associated with trait positive affect. Contrary to predictions, neither positive nor negative trait affect were related to deliberate mind-wandering. Results support the utility, reliability and validity of the MW-S and the MW-D scales, enabling researchers working with French-speaking populations to finally be able to dissociate spontaneous from deliberate mind-wandering when investigating mind-wandering