Generalizability Revisited: Comparing Undergraduate Business Students to Credit Union Managers

This paper looks at the use of college students in survey research. Specifically examined is the use of undergraduate business school students to generalize to adult populations of practicing managers. Some studies suggest that such generalizations are valid, while others argue that generalizations need to be undertaken with caution. The differences between particularistic research and universalistic research are discussed. The findings from a study of 69 undergraduate business majors and 67 practicing credit union managers are presented. In summary, the current study finds that the two groups are very different in terms of two well researched personality constructs: locus of control and need for achievement, hence caution should be taken when generalizing findings from one group to the other.