Sensorial Comfort

This study was part of an overall effort to explore the feasibility of using psycho physical methods to assess one component of sensorial comfort, moisture sensation in clothing, We have used a psychophysical approach to assess the relationship between moisture stimulus intensity and moisture sensation in subjects for one body location and using one fabric type. Thirteen subjects used the method of magnitude estimation to assess the intensities of moisture stimuli applied to their backs; there were highly significant differences between magnitude estimates of the moisture levels. Results showed that subjects were in good agreement on the rank order of the moisture levels. The relationship between moisture stimulus and moisture sensation demonstrated a psychophysical power function. Magnitude estimation offers the clothing comfort in vestigator the advantage of maintaining closer correspondence between objective and subjective measures over the usual psychological scaling methods used.