Dress¹ and Human Behavior Research: Sampling, Subjects, and Consequences for Statistics

Abstract

Articles from the Home Economics Research Journal (Vol. 1-19) and the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal (Vol.1-9) reporting dress research that involved the use of human subjects were content analyzed We were interested in the way probability and nonprobability sampling techniques were used, how they were combined with research designs, and their consequences for generalizability and statistics. Approximately 89% of the research used nonprobability sampling procedures, both in survey and experimental research designs. The consequences of the use of nonprobability sampling is discussed and suggestions are offered for increasing generalizability when nonprobability sampling is used in research.