Effectiveness of explicit warnings

Abstract

In the present study the effectiveness of explicitness in warnings provided with children's products was investigated. Unsafe use of children's products leads to many accidents. One way to reduce the number of accidents is to provide products with adequate warnings. A consistent finding in the literature is that a consumer's responsiveness to warnings is affected by perceived hazardousness, which in turn is affected by explicit warnings. A warning is explicit when it informs a consumer on 1. (1) what to do/avoid 2. (2) the product-related hazards 3. (3) the consequences of unsafe behaviour in terms of injuries. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. They were presented with a product manual of a child-care product, either a baby carrier or a feeding bottle, in which 1. (i) no warnings 2. (ii) non-explicit warnings 3. (iii) explicit warnings were provided. The effect of warning condition on perceived hazardous-ness, perceived severity of injury, intended compliance, comprehension, and recall of the warning was measured. The results indicate that with explicit warnings, subjects perceived the products investigated as more hazardous and the possible injuries as more severe. Results also show that explicit warnings were better understood and remembered. However no significant offer of explicitness was found on intended compliance.