The Credibility of Using Students as Surrogates in Empirical Research: A New Perspective on an Old Issue

The use of students, though appealing to academicians, has received wide criticism because of evidence that students are not adequate substitutes for other target populations. This paper discusses the appeal of student samples, briefly reviews past research on student respondents including the relatively ignored area of behavioral processes within consumer decision making, empirically tests the use of student respondents in this area, draws inferences for appropriate use of student respondents, and suggests additional research tracks.