Polish Adaptation of the Circumplex Affect Questionnaire (CAQ)

Abstract The affective circumplex model is one of the most widely used in the study of emotion. The present research aimed to introduce the Polish adaptation of the Circumplex Affect Questionnaire (CAQ). Participants ( N = 305) from the general Polish population aged 18–65 ( M = 42.07; SD = 13.28) participated in a ten-working-day daily diary study. The reliability of the CAQ was measured at both the between-person and within-person levels, and the structure of the questionnaire was tested using multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The questionnaire was evaluated for discriminant validity against other daily-measured scales and trait variables, including daily life satisfaction, anticipated life satisfaction for the following day, self-esteem, and empathy. Additionally, random coefficient modeling was used to examine within- and between-person effects of those external constructs on the CAQ scales. The results revealed significant within- and between-person effects, along with cross-level interactions, demonstrating that stable individual differences shape not only baseline affect but also reactivity to daily changes in satisfaction, self-esteem, and empathy. The circular structure of affect was assessed using Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) with the PROXSCAL procedure. The results provided partial support for a circular structure of affect, with valence (positive versus negative) clearly represented and activation–deactivation less consistently differentiated. The CAQ demonstrates promising psychometric properties in a daily diary context and may serve as a useful tool for assessing daily affect in intensive longitudinal research.