Strength and Understanding of Signal Words by Elementary and Middle School Students

Abstract

Several recent studies have examined the connoted meaning of signal words that are commonly used in product warning labels and signs. However, the tested population in almost all of these studies has used college students. One purpose of the present research was to determine if the hazard levels implied by signal words connote the same relative meaning to a different population of persons, namely elementary and middle-school students. A second purpose was to assess the understandability of signal words using an objective measure based on the number of missing ratings (i.e., ratings left blank). A third purpose was to develop a list of potential signal words that would be understandable to most younger persons. Elementary and middle-school students rated 43 potential signal words on carefulness (i.e., “How careful would you be after seeing each term?”). A sample of 70 college students also rated the terms on carefulness, strength, and understandability. Although the younger students gave higher carefulness ratings to the words than did the college students, the rank order of the words was consistent across participant groups. In addition, ratings of understandability by college students were predictive of the terms that younger students left blank. Two shorter lists of potential signal words were derived that more than 95% or 99% of the youngest students (fourth and fifth graders) understood. The practical and forensic relevance of these results are discussed, including implications for hazard communication to persons of different populations.