Mind Wandering in Information Technology Use: Scale Development and CrossValidation

Because our minds frequently drift away, an investigation into mind wandering while using information technology (IT) is critical. Despite growing interest in mind-wandering episodes in various domains, the discipline of Information Systems (IS) still lacks a validated measurement instrument that can account for the technology-related facets of the phenomenon. Our work addresses this gap and presents the results of a comprehensively developed scale that is specifically designed for IS scenarios. Using existing literature and the results of a pilot study (N = 35), a field study (N = 364), and a cross-validation sample (N = 336), we developed a new instrument that allows mind wandering while using technology to be measured either as a state (MWS) or as a trait with two subtypes (MWT-D: deliberate, and MWT-S: spontaneous). Whereas MWS captures a momentary mental state or a sequence of mental states that arise relatively freely while using technology in a given moment, MWT-D and MWT-S capture either intentional or unintentional, internally focused thoughts in technology-related settings in everyday life. Our scale is well suited to support future research to investigate the effects of mind wandering in technology-related settings and to study its implications for IS-relevant dependent variables, such as task performance and creativity.