The use of student samples in research has been a source of concern for a long time
(e.g. Sackett and Larson, 1990). The most cited problem has been that a student sample
may not fully represent the entire population. As a result, student sample studies lack
external validity. However, there might be situations where a student sample is
appropriate. For example, college students have been a profitable group for online
marketers since they comprise one of the largest internet user segments (Davis, 1999). A
recent study by Biswas and Biswas (2004) also supports the use of student samples since
they mirror closely the typical internet user. Therefore, the use of a student sample in this
study was deemed acceptable given the nature of the study and their literacy and use of
the internet.