Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

The current standards recommend using signal words such as DANGER, WARNING, and CAUTION to connote varying degrees of hazard. Most research concerning the connoted strength of signal words has used college students as participants. One at-risk population that has not been adequately studied, however, includes people with developmental disabilities. The purpose of the present research was to determine whether people with developmental disabilities understand these signal words. Moreover, connotation comparisons would be made concerning other populations sampled from previous research. A sample of 46 people with developmental disabilities rated 43 potential signal words on how careful they would be after seeing each term. In general, the ratings of the developmentally disabled were consistent with populations sampled from previous research. The words that were frequently left blank by the developmentally disabled were used less frequently in the English language and were higher in grade level. The forensic implications and relevance concerning hazard communication are discussed.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allington

(1980). Word frequency and contextual richness effects on word identification of educable mentally retarded children. Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 15, 118–121

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Washington, DC: Author

ANSI. (1991). American national standard for product safety signs and labels: Z535.4. New York: National Electrical Manufacturers Association

Bresnahan

T.F.

Bryk

(1975). The hazard association values of accident-prevention signs. Professional Safety, January, 17–25

Browder

D.M.

Hines

McCarthy

Fees

(1984). A treatment package for increasing sight word recognition for use in daily living skills. Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 19, 191–200

Campos v. Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. (1984). 485 A.2d 305

Cohen

(1977). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. New York: Academic Press

Dunlap

G.L.

Granda

R.E.

Kustas

M.S.

(1986). Observer perceptions of implied hazard: Safety signal words and color words (Research Report No. TR 00.3428) Poughkeepsie, NY: IBM

Fletcher

Abood

(1988). An analysis of the readability of product warning labels: Implications for curriculum development for persons with moderate and severe mental retardation. Education and Training in Mental Retardation, 23, 224–227

10.

FMC Corporation. (1985). Product safety sign and label system. Santa Clara, CA: Author

11.

Francis

W.N.

Kucera

(1982). Frequency analysis of English usage. Boston: Houghton Mifflin

12.

Fristoe

Lloyd

(1979). Nonspeech communication. In Ellis

N.R.

(Ed.), Handbook of mental deficiency: Psychological theory and research (pp. 401–430). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum

13.

Gollay

Freedman

Wyngaarden

Kurtz

N.R.

(1978). Coming back: The community experience of deinstitutionalized mentally retarded people. Cambridge, MA: Abt

14.

Leonard

S.D.

Matthews

Kames

E.W.

(1986). How does the population interpret warning signals? In Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 30th Annual Meeting (pp. 116–120). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors Society

15.

Hubbard-Hall Chemical Co. v. Silverman. (1965). 340 F.2d 402

16.

Lloyd

L.L.

Karlan

(1984). Nonspeech communication symbols and systems. Where have we been and where are we going? Journal of Mental Deficiency Research, 28, 3–20

17.

Mogilner

(1992). Children's writer's word book. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books

18.

Phelps

H.R.

(1956). Post school adjustment of mentally retarded children in selected Ohio cities. Exceptional Children, 23, 58–62

19.

Ramirez v. Plough Inc. (1992). 12 Cal. Rep. 2d. 423

20.

Silver

N.C.

Gammella

D.S.

Barlow

A.S.

Wogalter

M.S.

(1993). Connoted strength of signal words by elderly and non-native English speakers. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 37th Annual Meeting (pp. 516–519). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

21.

Silver

N.C.

Wogalter

M.S.

(1991). Strength and understanding of signal words by elementary and middle school students. In Proceedings of the Human Factors Society 35th Annual Meeting (pp. 590–594). Santa Monica, CA: Human Factors Society

22.

Stanley Industries Inc., v. W.M. Barr & Co., Inc. (1992). 784 F. Supp. 1570

23.

Thomdike

E.L.

Lorge

(1944). The teacher's word book of 30,000 words. New York: Teachers College Press

24.

Ursic

(1984). The impact of safety warnings on perception and memory. Human Factors, 26, 677–682

25.

Wilder

Keenan

M. P.

(1983). Developmental disabilities: No longer a private tragedy. Silver Spring, MD: National Association of Social Workers

26.

Wogalter

M.S.

Godfrey

S.S.

Fontenelle

G.A.

Desaulniers

D.R.

Rothstein

P.R.

Laughery

K.R.

(1987). Effectiveness of warnings. Human Factors, 29, 599–612

27.

Wogalter

M.S.

Jarrard

S.W.

Simpson

S.N.

(in press). Influence of signal words on perceived hazard levels of consumer products. Human Factors.

28.

Wogalter

M.S.

Silver

N.C.

(1990). Arousal strength of signal words. Forensic Reports, 3, 407–420

29.

Wogalter

M.S.

Silver

N.C.

(in press). Warning signal words: Connoted strength and understandability by children, elders, and non-native English speakers. Ergonomics.

Signal Words: Perceived Carefulness by the Developmentally Disabled

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References