Abstract
The influence of warning quality, container hazardousness, and severity of the potential injury on attention to and retention of warning information were examined. Warning quality and container hazardousness were manipulated as within subjects variables, severity of injury as a between subjects variable. Two levels of each variable were used, high and low. Participants viewed the 4 possible combinations of warning quality and container hazardousness and then responded to various questions concerning their perceptions and retention of warning information. The results demonstrated the importance of warning quality. Enhanced features such as pictorials, signal words, safety icons, and color increase warning salience and recollection of warning information. The results also indicate that the hazardousness of containers influences whether people read warning labels and subsequent reports of cautious intent. However, its influence is modified by both severity of injury and warning quality.
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