The Construction and Preliminary Validation of a New Pictorial Materialism Test for 4–6-year-old Children

Abstract

The goal of this project was to develop and validate a new instrument that reliably measures materialism in preschool children (4–6 years old). A simple and universal Pictorial Materialism Test (PMT) was created and then its psychometric properties were evaluated. The PMT consists of 32 items reflecting two dimensions: acquisition as the pursuit of happiness and success defined by possessions. To examine the psychometric properties of the PMT, 204 children aged 4–6 years participated in the study. To examine the reliability of the PMT, we calculated the internal consistency, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and test–retest intra-class correlation. To determine the convergent validity of the PMT, correlations with another measure of children's materialism (Happiness Collage) and with age were examined. Results confirmed that materialism can be reliably reported by preschool children and that the PMT has satisfactory (albeit moderate) psychometric properties, but requires further validation studies. Nonetheless, the instrument developed in this project is promising for further research because it is universally applicable and has the potential to be used in research on materialism in preschool children around the world. JEL codes: A13, C18, D12