Influences on Ratings of Risk for Consumer Products

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested many persons do not know the meanings of many terms commonly used as stand alone descriptions of hazards. Studies (Leonard & Digby, 1992; Leonard & Hill, 1993) have shown that the same hazard description, for example flammable, associated with different products resulted in very different perceptions of risk. The present study eliminated anchoring effects that may have resulted from using separate categories by combining 13 different products into a single set for both rating and ranking. The results were consonant with previous findings in that a low correlation between subjective impressions and physical characteristics was found. Subjects in a second study who received a demonstration of some of the products' flammability significantly changed their ratings. The discussion involved consideration of how cognitive information may be developed.

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