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Biomedical subjects

M S Wogalter

Publications and source records attributed to M S Wogalter.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Providing cognitive support with technology-based warning systems.

New and emerging technologies promise to revolutionize risk communication. The benefits of technology are discussed with regard to the components of a recently described warning process model. Examples are provided to illustrate how technology can potentially improve information accessibility and cognitive support. Design principles such as warning interactivity, dynamic modification and personalization are considered as potential applications of technology that should enhance warning effectiveness in future technology-based systems.

Cognitive Science↗
PubMed2000

What you don't know can hurt you: household products and events.

Product safety is affected by product design and by the knowledge of the user, either through the user's own background or through instructions and warnings presented with the product. Given adequate knowledge, warnings can serve primarily to remind individuals of the hazards and precautions that can be taken. This study examined people in the USA (represented by two diverse samples) to evaluate their knowledge about the hazards associated with common household products and situations using both multiple choice and open-ended surveys. The results indicated that the respondents were aware of a substantial number of hazards, but their knowledge often did not extend to the specific circumstances that could produce personal injury and property damage. Further, comparisons of cued and non-cued responses suggested some hazards are not well recognized without the cue. The results indicate warnings are needed both as reminders and to provide safety information.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Availability of operator manuals for used consumer products.

This research investigates the availability of operator manuals for used (second-hand or resold) consumer products. One hundred people were solicited at a shopping mall and asked various questions about 20 common consumer products (e.g. car, computer, power lawn mower, bicycle, etc.). They were queried about: (a) whether they have ever purchased the products new and/or used and, if purchased used, whether it came with an operator manual or an instruction sheet, (b) whether they personally sold any of the products used, and if so, whether they transferred the operator manual to the receiver, (c) the desirability of having an operator manual; and (d) how much they would be willing to pay for a manual assuming they had to purchase it separately. Participants were also asked to rate each product on familiarity, hazard level, and difficulty of use, and to answer a set of general manual-related questions. A second survey solicited the opinions of 39 professional sellers (dealers) of used products. Findings from both surveys indicate that while operator manuals for some used products are transferred to purchasers at moderate frequencies, others are much lower. In general, participants believed that the inclusion of the operator manual would aid the sale of used products and they were willing to pay extra to have one (particularly for unfamiliar, more hazardous, difficult-to-use products). The results suggest that manufacturers ought to address ways that would make it more likely that consumers retain the operator manual and transfer it to subsequent purchasers at later resale. Additionally, convenient ways of obtaining replacement copies should be provided to ensure that important safety-related information reaches end users.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effectiveness of elevator service signs: measurement of perceived understandability, willingness to comply and behaviour.

This research examines the effectiveness of four elevator service signs. The signs' purpose is to reduce delays for longer distance riders by dissuading people from using the elevator when they are only going up one floor or down two floors. Three of the four signs were described in Chapanis' (1965, Human Factors 7, 1-17) seminal treatise entitled 'Words, words, words ...': an original sign and two others that he suggested as possibly being better. The fourth was an enhanced sign incorporating human factor principles that were derived from research since Chapanis' article. The enhancements involved the use of colour, a signal word panel, icons/pictorial, and direct, explicit wording of the required behaviour. In Experiment 1, participants rated the understandability of each sign and their willingness to obey its instructions. The pattern of the means was the same for both questions. The original sign was rated lowest and the enhanced sign was rated highest, with the two other signs receiving intermediate ratings. In Experiment 2, the signs were placed on each floor of six multi-story buildings adjacent to the elevator call buttons. People's use of the elevators during the posting of each sign and during no-sign (control) periods was measured. The experimenter rode the elevators and counted the total number of passengers using the elevators as well as the number who rode up only one floor or down one or two floors (noncompliers). The new enhanced sign increased compliance compared to the other three signs and the no-sign period. These results suggest that design principles derived from recent research can help to promote comprehension, motivation and compliance behaviour to signs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Effects of a video warning sign and social modeling on behavioral compliance.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of different kinds of video presentations as methods to induce behavioral compliance to safety directives. In Experiment 1, the effects of: (i) a video sign warning alone, (ii) a video sign warning plus a role model, and (iii) a video sign warning plus a role model with an added voice warning were examined with respect to compliance with directed safety behaviors. The results indicated that behavioral compliance was significantly higher when participants were exposed to the videos containing the role model compared to the video sign alone. The addition of a voice warning to the sign plus role model condition produced no further increase in compliance over the condition without voice. Experiment 2 examined whether a delay between the time of exposure to the video and the time the safety behaviors were necessary would produce a decrease in compliance. In addition, the influence of a video role model and a voice warning on perceived importance of protective equipment was examined. Experiment 2 showed that a delay of several days did not reduce the effectiveness of a video warning. This result suggests that the behavioral change induced by the video is robust over time. In addition, a significant relationship between perceived importance of using safety equipment and behavioral compliance was demonstrated. Implications of this research for safety training programs and warnings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Warning signal words: connoted strength and understandability by children, elders, and non-native English speakers.

Signal words, such as DANGER, WARNING and CAUTION, are commonly used in sign and product label warnings for the purpose of conveying different levels of hazard. Previous research has focused on whether people's perceptions of connoted hazard are consistent with the levels suggested by design standards and guidelines. Most investigations have used college students to evaluate the terms; other populations who may be at greater risk have not been adequately studied. One purpose of the present research was to determine whether young children, the elderly, and non-native English speakers perceive similar connoted hazard levels from the terms as undergraduates and published guidelines. A second purpose was to assess the terms' comprehensibility using various metrics such as missing values (i.e. ratings left blank) and understandability ratings. A third purpose was to develop a list of potential signal words that probably would be understandable to members of special populations. In the first experiment, 298 fourth- to eighth-grade students and 70 undergraduates rated 43 potential signal words on how careful they would be after seeing each term. The undergraduates also rated the terms on strength and understandability. In the second experiment, 98 elders and 135 non-native English speakers rated the same set of terms. The rank ordering of the words was found to be consistent across the participant groups. In general, the younger students gave higher carefulness ratings than the undergraduates. The words that the younger children and the non-native English speakers frequently left blank were given lower understandability ratings. Finally, a short list of terms was derived that 95% or 99% of the youngest students (fourth- and fifth-graders) and 80% of the non-native English speakers understood. Implications of hazard communication are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The effect of alternative product-label design on warning compliance.

Many potentially hazardous products are packaged in small containers. Because of the limited amount of space available on these containers for warnings and other information, manufacturers often reduce the size and amount of printed material on the labels. This frequently impairs the message's legibility, noticeability and comprehensibility. Recently, several alternative label designs have been investigated using preference ratings, but whether the designs facilitate safer behaviour has not been determined. In the present experiment, two alternative designs (tag and wings) were compared with a conventional (control) design for their effect on behavioural compliance with a warning on a very small container of glue. Participants performed a parts-assembly task using the glue without being informed of the study's real purpose. Whether participants wore protective gloves as directed by the warning was measured. Results showed that the tag design produced significantly greater compliance than the other two designs. Measures of noticing, reading and recall of the warning mirrored the compliance results. While participants generally preferred the control label, they most preferred the tag warning. Overall, the results suggest that alternative designs like the tag can enhance warning communication and compliance in cases where surface area is limited.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

Influencing of warning label signal words on perceived hazard level.

This experiment investigated the influence of warnings, signal words, and a signal icon on perceived hazard of consumer products. Under the guise of a marketing research study, 135 people (high school students, college students, and participants from a shopping mall) rated product labels on six dimensions, including how hazardous they perceived the products to be. A total of 16 labels from actual household products were used: 9 carried the experimental conditions, and 7 were filler product labels that never carried a warning. Five conditions presented the signal words NOTE, CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER, and LETHAL together with a brief warning message. In another two conditions, a signal icon (exclamation point surrounded by a triangle) was presented together with the terms DANGER and LETHAL. In the final two conditions, one lacked a signal word but retained the warning message, and the other lacked both the warning message and the signal word. Results showed that the presence of a signal word increased perceived product hazard compared with its absence. Significant differences were noted between extreme terms (e.g., NOTE and DANGER) but not between terms usually recommended in warning design guidelines (e.g., CAUTION and WARNING). The signal icon showed no significant effect on hazard perception. Implications of the results and the value of the methodology for future warnings investigations are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Enhancing information acquisition for over-the-counter medications by making better use of container surface space.

Most over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical container labels are printed in very small type. Consequently, people with visual impairments (e.g., presbyopia in older adults) have difficult reading the material. Some OTC drugs are packaged in containers with easy-open caps. This design increases the surface area that could be used to enhance the labeling. In Experiment 1, older adults (M = 75.1 years, SD = 8.1) evaluated six container label variants for an actual OTC product. Besides having a multipanel main label, four containers had labels attached to the cap that displayed the most important information in large print but differed in color. Two control containers lacked a cap label; one had only a four-panel main label, and the other had only the front label. Participants ranked the containers on six dimensions (e.g., label noticeability, willingness to read). Results showed greater preference for containers with the cap labels. Experiment 2 again examined preferences but also measured information-acquisition performance after participants (M = 79 years, SD = 5.8) were briefly exposed to a realistic-appearing, but fictitious, OTC medication. Results showed greater knowledge and preference for containers with the cap labels. Experiment 2 showed that one of the cap colors (yellow) that was different from the main label was preferred over the white and orange (the same colors as on the main label), but color distinctiveness as an explanation was not fully supported because the green cap was not significantly different from the other cap labels. Implications for communicating information about OTC drugs using expanded labels are discussed.

Aged↗