The role of theory of mind in how increasing preschoolers' self-esteem affects their materialism: an experimental study.

ABSTRACT: This study tested the hypothesis that enhancing preschoolers' self-esteem in the domains of competence and social acceptance would reduce materialistic tendencies, especially in children with a developed Theory of Mind (ToM). A total of 239 children, 107 girls and 132 boys from Polish preschools participated in an experimental design. Before conducting the main study, a pilot study with 67 preschool children (36 girls and 31 boys) was carried out to validate the effectiveness of the self-esteem manipulation, confirming its success in enhancing children's state self-esteem in the targeted domains. The results of the main study supported the preregistered hypothesis, showing that self-esteem enhancement reduced materialism but only among children with well-developed ToM. These findings provi

SUBMITTER: Trzcinska A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12663213 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature