Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ) by Walsh et al. (2010)
Walsh et al. (2010) investigated the relationship between frequency of mobile phone use
and mobile phone involvement. They argued that the frequency of use and involvement were not
identical concepts by conceptualizing involvement as people’s cognitive and behavioral
interaction with their mobile phone. Initially, they came up with a list of 25 items obtained from
the results of a previous qualitative study (Walsh, White, & Young, 2008), using Brown’s (1993,
1997) behavioral addiction components as basis for the interviews in that study. The
questionnaire was administered to a sample of 946 young Australian people. After an initial
analysis of the results, they eliminated several items and ended up with a questionnaire of 8
items (using a 7-point rating scale) measuring a unitary construct, as revealed by the principal
component analysis. The questionnaire had moderate reliability (α = .78). They found a weak
relationship between mobile phone involvement and frequency of daily use, leading them to the
conclusion that highly involved mobile phone users used their phone more frequently than did
those who were not highly involved. In addition to investigating the relationship between the two
types of mobile phone behavior, they explored the psychological predictors of each. Self-identity
and validation from others were investigated as the predictors in the study. Both self-identity and
validation from others were found to be predictors of mobile phone involvement, even though
frequency of mobile phone use was predicted only by self-identity. Hence, they drew the
conclusion that frequency of use and involvement conceptualized by cognitive and behavioral
interactions with mobile phones should be distinguished. Employing a rigorous methodology,
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this study shows that the MPIQ is a valid and reliable questionnaire and that self-identity and
validation from others are factors affecting people’s mobile phone involvement