Self-Monitoring as a Personality Correlate of Materialism: An Investigation of Related Cognitive Orientation

For a sample of 170 undergraduate students, scores on Snyder's Self-monitoring scale were correlated .85 with scores on Richins and Dawson's Materialism scale. This suggests that the constructs reflect a similar externally focused cognitive orientation. In addition, stepwise regression indicated that variance in Self-monitoring scores is explained largely by the success and centrality components of Materialism. Since these components entail a characteristic use of external contextual cues, their predictive efficacy lends further support to an explanation of construct relationship grounded in individuals' cognitive orientation.