Fabric Hand as Perceived by U.S. and Korean Males and Females

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to explore the possibility of developing comparable sets of unipolar adjectives for consumer evaluation of fabric hand for English and Korean speakers. To better understand differences in use of adjectives, the researchers examined (a) how male and female respondents in the United States and Korea apply these adjectives and (b) their preferences for hand for a specific end use for members of the judge's own sex and for the other sex. The research included four phases: focus group interviews, word list development, trial, and final data collection. Stimuli were selected to represent shirting fabrics for U.S. and Korean males and females. Subjects were 70 Korean males, 70 Korean females, 70 U.S. males, and 68 U.S. females. Three hypotheses were examined by using analyses of variance; comments made during focus group interviews suggested interpretations of results. Sex and country interacted to affect responses to fabric hand; sex and country differences were found in fabric preferences for persons of the judges' sex and for persons of the other sex. Results provided implications for international manufacturers and retailers and for researchers using affective stimuli.