Analysis

The Kiddie Machiavellianism Test is a tool used to assess Machiavellian tendencies in children. These tendencies refer to behaviors and attitudes centered on egocentrism, exploiting others for personal gain, and disregarding the feelings and needs of others. The questionnaire consists of a series of statements or questions to which children are asked to respond, often using a Likert scale (e.g., from 1 “strongly disagree” to 5 “strongly agree”). Through these responses, researchers can determine the degree to which a child exhibits Machiavellian tendencies. The analysis of the responses involves examining both the overall score and specific components, such as the tendency to deceive, lack of empathy, and prioritization of personal gain. This analysis can help parents, educators, and psychologists better understand children’s social and emotional skills, as well as identify possible needs for intervention or support.

Objective

The objective of this questionnaire is to evaluate Machiavellian tendencies in children, in order to understand behaviors and attitudes related to egocentrism, the exploitation of others, and indifference toward others’ feelings and needs. By analyzing the responses to the questionnaire, researchers can determine the extent to which a child exhibits Machiavellian traits. This can help parents, educators, and psychologists identify problems in children’s social and emotional skills, thus providing the opportunity for timely intervention and support. The ultimate aim is to strengthen children’s healthy development and social behavior, contributing to the creation of a more cooperative and empathetic environment in both the family and the community.

Calibration

The KMT-20 questionnaire consists of 20 items which are answered as follows:
Strongly disagree
Slightly disagree
(blank left for scale point 3, not specified)
Slightly agree
Strongly agree

Bibliography

Christie, R., and others. (1968). Unpublished manuscript, Department of Social Psychology, Columbia University.
Robinson, John P., & Shaver, Phillip R. (1969). Measures of Political Attitudes. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Christie, R., & Geis, F. L. (1970). “How devious are you? Take the Machiavelli test to find out.” Journal of Management in Engineering, 15(4), 17.
Christie, R., & Geis, F. (1970). Studies in Machiavellianism. New York: Academic Press.
Corral, Susana, & Calvete, Esther. (2000). Machiavellianism: Dimensionality of the Mach IV and its Relation to Self-Monitoring in a Spanish Sample. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 3(1), 3–13.