"What does (and should) “mind wandering” mean?" by Paul Seli, David Maillet, Daniel L. Schacter, Michael J. Kane, Jonathan Smallwood, Jonathan W. Schooler, and Daniel Smilek (2017)

This paper examines the various definitions of "mind wandering" that have been used in psychological research, and argues that they can be problematic, leading to inconsistencies and a lack of clarity in the understanding of the phenomenon. The authors propose that "mind wandering" should be viewed as a heterogeneous construct with many overlapping features, but also important differences. They advocate for a family-resemblances approach, suggesting that researchers should clearly articulate the specific aspects of mind wandering they are investigating and adopt a prototypical case of mind wandering as a point of reference for future research.