Assessing daydreaming frequency and control with the Polish version of the Daydreaming Frequency Scale – validation using ecological momentary assessment

Daydreaming is a prevalent type of cognitive activity, in which the content of one's thoughts is unrelated to the current task. The Daydreaming Frequency Scale (DDFS) was the first questionnaire devised to measure the occurrence of daydreaming and remains widely used for this purpose today. We report on three studies validating the Polish version of the DDFS. Study 1 (n=385) examines its factor validity, internal consistency, and criterion validity (tested by computing correlations with the scores of other questionnaires measuring similar phenomena and known consequences of daydreaming). Study 2 (n=1301) confirms the factor structure established in Study 1 and provides additional test-retest analyses conducted over a three-month interval. Study 3 (n=214) tests the link between the trait-level DDFS score and daily occurrence of task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs) and the degree of everyday control over such thoughts, using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). During the factor validity analysis, we tested the possibility of implementing a two-factor structure solution; however, after careful consideration, the original one-factor structure was retained. The Polish DDFS demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .92). The results of the correlation-based criterion validity testing were also satisfactory. The findings of Study 3 suggest that DDFS score is positively related to actual daily TUTs occurrence and negatively related to daily thought control, further supporting the good criterion validity of the questionnaire.