Kiddie Machiavellianism Test

Abstract

The Kiddie Machiavellianism Test (KMT) is a specialized psychological scale developed by Christie and colleagues in 1969, adapted from the original Mach-IV scale designed for adults. The KMT measures the construct of Machiavellianism—a personality trait characterized by cynicism, emotional detachment, and a propensity for manipulation—specifically within child and adolescent populations. By simplifying the language and adjusting the item content, the KMT aims to provide a developmentally appropriate assessment of this complex social attitude, allowing researchers to study the early emergence and development of manipulative tendencies and self-interest in younger individuals.

Keywords

Machiavellianism, Kiddie Machiavellianism Test, KMT, personality, social influence, cynicism, manipulation, psychological scale, children, adolescents.

Authors

Christie, R., Geis, F. L., and others (1969).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Kiddie Machiavellianism Test is to quantify the degree of Machiavellianism present in youth. This measurement is crucial for developmental and social psychology studies seeking to understand how cynical worldviews and manipulative behavioral strategies emerge and solidify during childhood and adolescence. The scale provides a standardized tool to assess attitudes regarding trust, ethics, and the strategic use of others to achieve personal goals.

Unlike the adult Mach-IV, which utilizes complex phrasing, the KMT ensures that items are readily understandable by younger respondents, thus maintaining the integrity of the construct while enhancing accessibility. Research utilizing the KMT often focuses on correlating high Mach scores with social competence, academic performance, bullying behavior, and moral development.

Construct

The KMT is designed to measure the personality construct of Machiavellianism, named after Niccolò Machiavelli, whose writings (particularly The Prince) described cunning and opportunistic political behavior. Psychologically, this construct is defined by three core components:

• Cynical View of Human Nature: The belief that people are inherently weak, selfish, and untrustworthy, and that they deserve to be manipulated.
• Strategic Manipulation: A readiness to use deceit, flattery, and cunning tactics to achieve personal ends.
• Lack of Affective Concern: Emotional detachment and a focus on utilitarian outcomes rather than moral or interpersonal considerations.

This trait is often researched alongside narcissism and psychopathy as part of the Dark Triad of personality. The KMT attempts to capture these dimensions through simplified statements regarding honesty, friendship, power, and success.

Validity

Validity evidence for the KMT typically relies on its conceptual alignment with the adult Mach-IV scale and its predictive power regarding specific social behaviors in youth. Studies have demonstrated satisfactory concurrent validity, where KMT scores correlate positively with teacher ratings of manipulative behavior and negative social interaction patterns, and negatively with measures of empathy and prosocial behavior.

Construct validity is supported by findings showing that higher scores on the KMT are associated with greater social influence tactics, greater likelihood of cheating, and higher levels of self-serving behavior in experimental settings. However, due to its adaptation for younger populations, the dimensional structure of the KMT may sometimes differ slightly from the multi-factorial structure observed in the adult Mach-IV.

Reliability

The reliability of the Kiddie Machiavellianism Test has been investigated across various samples. Internal consistency, usually measured by Cronbach’s alpha, generally falls within acceptable ranges for a personality measure, often reported between 0.70 and 0.85, indicating that the items cohere adequately to measure a single underlying construct (Machiavellianism).

Test-retest reliability studies, which measure the stability of the scores over time, typically demonstrate moderate to high correlations, suggesting that the Machiavellian disposition, as measured by the KMT, is a relatively stable trait even during developmental periods. This stability supports its use as a measure of a foundational personality orientation rather than a transient attitude.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the KMT often suggests a factor structure that, while related to the adult Mach-IV, may be less differentiated due to the cognitive complexity constraints of the target population. While the adult scale often yields factors related to Morality, Tactics, and Views of Human Nature, analyses of the KMT frequently reveal a dominant, single-factor solution representing overall Machiavellianism.

Some researchers have identified two or three distinct factors, such as “Distrust/Cynicism” and “Tactics/Manipulation,” which align conceptually with the core components of the construct. The interpretation of the factor structure remains dependent on the specific age group tested and the statistical methods employed, but the scale is primarily utilized to generate a unitary score.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale.

Format: 20 items presented as statements, requiring responses on a 4-point Likert-type scale. The original scoring key specifies 1- disagree very much, 2- disagree a little, 4- agree a little, 5- agree very much, notably skipping the numerical value ‘3’. Items marked with an asterisk are reversed for scoring.

Language Available: English (original); adaptations exist in languages such as Spanish.

Population Group: Children and adolescents in educational and developmental settings.

Age Group: Late childhood through adolescence (typically 8 to 18 years).

Population Details: Used primarily with non-clinical, school-based samples to assess normative social attitudes and personality development.

Test Methodology: Responses are scored such that higher numbers indicate greater agreement with Machiavellian attitudes. After reverse-scoring the appropriate items, a total score is computed by summing the responses, yielding a continuous measure of Machiavellianism.

Keywords

Personality assessment, developmental psychology, psychometrics, social attitudes, Machiavellianism in youth, Mach-IV adaptation, cynicism.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (ORCID system post-dates initial publication)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: Correspondence generally directed toward the Department of Social Psychology, Columbia University (as per 1968 manuscript reference).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Kiddie Machiavellianism Test was first disseminated in 1969, featuring prominently in the influential volume Measures of Political Attitudes by Robinson and Shaver. As a scale published in widely available academic compendia, it is generally considered a research instrument available for academic use without requiring specific licensing fees, though researchers should always cite the original authors. The original PDF compilation containing this instrument can be downloaded here: https://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/infoserv/isrpub/pdf/Measuresofsocialpsychologicalattitudes_2928_.PDF

Reference’s

• 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., and F. L. Geis. (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”. NY: Academic Press.

• Corral, Susana and 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.

Items of the Kiddie Machiavellianism Test

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Kiddie Machiavellianism Test

Christie et al, 1969

1. Never tell anyone why you did something unless it will help you.

2. Most people are good and kind.*

3. The best way to get along with people is to tell them things that make them happy.

4. You should do something only when you are sure it is right.*

5. It is smartest to believe that all people will be mean if they have a chance.

6. You should always be honest, no matter what.*

7. Sometimes you have to hurt other people to get what you want.

8. Most people won’t work hard unless you make them do it.

9. It is a better to be ordinary and honest than famous and dishonest.*

10. It’s better to tell someone why you want him to help you than to make up a good story to get him to do it.*

11. Successful people are mostly honest and good.*

12. Anyone who completely trusts anyone else is asking for trouble.

13. A criminal is just like other people except that he is stupid enough to get caught.

14. Most people are brave.*

15. It is smart to be nice to important people even if you don’t really like them.

16. It is possible to be good in every way.*

17. Most people can not be easily fooled.*

18. Sometimes you have to cheat a little to get what you want.

19. It is never right to tell a lie. *

20. It hurts more to lose money than to lose a friend.

* Reversed item.

Response Scale: 1- disagree very much, 2- disagree a little, 4- agree a little, 5- agree very much.