Are individual differences in “unconstrained thought” meaningfully distinct from spontaneous and deliberate mind wandering?

Abstract

Here, we developed the Unconstrained Thought Questionnaire (UTQ) to assess the dynamics of unconstrained thought (or ‘mind wandering’), as described by the Dynamic Framework. We aimed to determine whether the UTQ’s measure of unconstrained thought provides unique explanatory power beyond existing measures of spontaneous (MW:S) and deliberate (MW:D) mind wandering. Using data from 2,350 participants, we conducted confirmatory factor analyses, demonstrating that UTQ, MW:S, and MW:D measure related but distinct constructs. Regression analyses revealed that while the UTQ overlaps significantly with MW:S, it only modestly contributes to the prediction of various psychological constructs, explaining less than 1% additional variance beyond MW:S and MW:D. Our findings suggest that although the UTQ captures a unique dimension of thought, its practical utility in predicting mind-wandering-related traits, above and beyond existing measures, is limited.