The focus of the study was on evaluative criteria underlying clothing decisions of lower and middle socioeconomic level consumers. The objectives were to (1) classify consumers into segments based on evaluative criteria used in making clothing choices and (2) de scribe the resulting segments in terms of product‐ and person‐related life‐style variables. Data were obtained from questionnaires completed by 224 consumers who were mothers of children enrolled in private, government, and church‐supported preschool facilities during the spring, 1973, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Data were analyzed using factor analysis, multiple discriminant analysis, and multiple classification analysis. Segmentation was effected on the basis of two dimensions underlying evaluative criteria—appearance and practicality‐derived by factor analysis. Resulting segments were labeled as Fashion Advocates, Quality Seekers, Frugal Aesthetes, and Concerned Pragmat ics. Descriptive profiles of the four segments were developed using factor scores for six eval uative criteria, five general‐value, four information‐related, five activity‐interest, and two personality factors plus selected demographic variables.

The concept of fashion leadership among college women in India was examined by assessing the attention given to media exposure (fashion information sources) of identified opinion leaders and fashion nonleaders. A survey design with a pre tested questionnaire was used to conduct the research. The final sample con sisted of 509 college women from four universities in northwestern India. Anal ysis of variance and chi square analysis were used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that fashion opinion leaders used significantly more sources of fashion information and more often than nonleaders (p < 0.05 to p < 0.01). Fashion magazines were a significantly discriminating fashion information source for the two groups during the awareness, comprehension, and legitimation stages of fashion adoption (p < 0.01). Although most of the findings were consis tent with Western literature regarding the fashion adoption process, the role of parents and family members in legitimating the fashion choices of the respon dents did reflect a cultural difference.

This study focusg on a speciflc product, women's clothing, to gain further insights regarding consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. A variety of consumer Characteristics including demographics, activities, interests and opinions (AIO's), product knowledge and product experience were used to successrully predict and prodlle consumer salisfaction. General suggestions for industry, governmental agencies and educators are presented regarding the implications of the findings for the general study of consumer satisfaction.Consumer satisfaction, when viewed as a step within the total consumer decision process, can be considered a key to post purchase evaluation and hence influential in determining future behavior. A basic question is whether consumer satisfaction can be predicted and profiled or whether it is more of a random process.The objective of this study was to determine if consumers' satisfaction with a given product category could be effectively predicted and profiled in terms of demographic characteristics, activities, interests and opinions (AIO's) and knowledge about and experience with the product category. Women's satisfaction with the wear and care performance of their apparel was the topic used to study consumer satisfaction.The knowledge of consumers' satisfactions to be gained from this study could have important implications for the clothing and textile industry. At the same time, the results may be generalizable to the extent of helping government agencies in assisting and protecting consumers and educators in meeting consumer needs for information. RESEARCH QUESTIONS A N D HYPOTHESESA general search of the consumer behavior literature has yielded a limited but growing amount of research pertaining to consumer satisfaction with products or services following purchase [ l , 2, 5, 14, 181.

Nurses' use of and attitudes toward traditional role symbols and their attitudes toward nurse autonomy and rejection of traditional role limitations were investigated. The sample consisted of 275 staff‐level registered nurses randomly selected from five Ohio and five Massachusetts general hospitals. The hypothesis that there would be an association between frequency of cap‐wearing and attitudes toward role symbols was accepted (p < .001). The hypothesis that nurses who expressed favorable attitudes toward role symbols would express unfavorable attitudes toward nurse autonomy and rejection of traditional role limitations, and that nurses who expressed unfavorable attitudes toward role symbols would express favorable attitudes toward nurse autonomy and rejection of traditional role limitations was accepted (p < .001). The type of professional socialization and variables related to setting in which the nurse role is enacted are factors related to nurses' attitudes toward traditional role symbols.

The purpose of this research was to assess the appropriateness of grouping evaluative criteria used by women in their dress purchases according to instrumental, expressive, and market aspects. Respondents from a random telephone sample were divided into two groups, ‘Care’ and ‘Nocare’, according to whether or not the consumers had cared for (washed or cleaned) their dresses at the time satisfaction was measured. For both groups, factors were generated which were representative of the three aspects of evaluative criteria proposed. The factors reflected expressive, price, selection/size, and performance dimensions of clothing satisfaction. Hence, in analysing clothing satisfaction, researchers must recognize that several functions are served by clothing and reflect these in the research methodology.