The purpose of this study was to examine behavioral compliance with posted warnings varying in design features. Thirty-seven participants performed a chemical mixing task in an environment with no posted warning, a text-only warning, or a warning consisting of design components identified in the warnings literature (i.e., signal word, alert symbol, color). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three direct experience sign conditions. Participants also provided ratings of behavioral intent in conditions involving written scenarios and photographs of the task setting. Although eleven of the participants wore either gloves or goggles or both, none of the participants in the sign conditions looked at the posted warning signs. Ratings of behavioral intent in response to written scenarios revealed significant effects of sign type, and significant differences between ratings of self and ratings of others. Factors relating to research design and sample selection as well as implications for future compliance research are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AjzenJ.FishbeinM. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
2.
AdamsA. S.EdworthyJ. (1995). Quantifying and predicting the effects of basic text display variables on the perceived urgency of warning labels: Tradeoffs involving font size, border weight and color. Ergonomics, 38, 2221–2237.
3.
AdamsA.BochnerS.BilikL. (1998). The effectiveness of warning signs in hazardous work places: Cognitive and social determinants. Applied Ergonomics, 29, 247–254.
4.
BraunC. C.SilverN. C. (1995). Interaction of signal word and colour on warning labels: Differences in perceived hazard and behavioral compliance. Ergonomics, 38, 2207–2220.
5.
BraunC. C.HoltR. S.SilverN.C. (1995). Adding consequence information to product instructions: Changes in hazard perceptions. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 41st Annual Meeting (346–350). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
6.
BrightA.D.ManfredoM.J.FishbeinM.BathA. (1993). Application of the theory of reasoned action to the National Park Service's controlled burn policy. Journal of Leisure Research, 25, 263–280.
7.
ChapanisA. (1994). Hazards associated with three signal words and four colours on warning signs. Ergonomics, 37, 265–275.
8.
CheathamD.B.WogalterM. S. (1999). Connoted hazard and perceived conspieuity of warning configurations. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 43rd Annual Meeting (883–887). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
9.
DollJ.OrthB. (1993). The Fishbein and Ajzen theory of reasoned action applied to contraceptive behavior: Model variants and meaningfulness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 23, 395–414.
10.
DrakeK. S.ConzolaV. C.WogalterM. S. (1998). Discrimination among sign and label warning signal words. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing, 3, 289–301.
11.
EaglyA.H. (1992). Uneven progress: Social psychology and the study of attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 693–710.
12.
EllisS.ArieliS. (1999). Predicting intentions to report administrative and disciplinary infractions: Applying the reasoned action model. Human Relations, 52, 947–967.
13.
GoldhaberG. M.DeturckM. A. (1988). Effectiveness of warning signs: Familiarity effects. Forensic Reports, 4, 281–301.
14.
KrausS. J. (1995). Attitudes and the prediction of behavior: A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 58–75.
15.
MagurnoA. B.WogalterM. S. (1994). Behavioral compliance with warnings: Effects of stress and placement. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 41st Annual Meeting (797–805). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
16.
MarksG. (1984). Thinking one's abilities are unique and one's opinions are common. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 102, 203–208.
17.
TrommelenM. (1997). Effectiveness of explicit warnings. Safety Science, 25, 79–88.
18.
VallerandR.J.DeshaiesP.CurrierJ. -P.PelletierL.G.MongeauC. (1992). Ajzen and Fishbein's Theory of Reasoned Action as applied to moral behavior: A confirmatory analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 98–109.
19.
WogalterM. S.KalsherM. J.RashidR. (1998). Effect of signal word and source attribution on judgments of warning credibility and compliance likelihood. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 1–8.
20.
WogalterM. S.RacicotB.M.KalsherM. J.SimpsonS.N. (1994). Personalization of warning signs: The role of perceived relevance on behavioral compliance. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 14, 233–242.
21.
WogalterM. S.SilverN.C. (1990). Arousal strength of signal words. Forensic Reports, 3, 407–420.
22.
WogalterM.S.SilverN.C. (1995). Warning signal words: Connoted strength and understandability by children, elders, and non-native English speakers. Ergonomics, 38, 2188–2206.
23.
WogalterM. S.GodfreyS. S.FontenelleG. A.DesaulniersD. R.RosthsteinP. R.LaugheryK. R. (1987). Effectiveness of warnings. Human Factors, 29, 599–612.
24.
WogalterM. S.MagurnoA. B.RashidR.KleinK. W. (1998). The influence of time stress and location on behavioral warning compliance. Safety Science, 29, 2, 143–148.
25.
WogalterM.S.RashidR. (1998). A border surrounding a warning sign affects looking behavior: A field observational study. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 42nd Annual Meeting (797–805). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
26.
YoungS. (1997). The role of pictorials in environmental safety signs. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 41st Annual Meeting (797–805). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
