Language matters: Wording considerations in hazard perception and warning comprehension

Research concerning warning labels has established a comprehensive set of c omponents that generally lead to an effective means of communicating potent ial hazards. To Explore and detail specific labeling effects, the authors t ested prototypical warning labels (as found on a hypothetical household cle aner). Experiment 1 rested the effects on label believability of explicit v s, implicit mention of the product's hazard-causing agent. Experiment 2 tes ted the effects on label believability of explicit vs. implicit mention of the worst possible outcome of interacting with the: product. Experiment 3 t ested the effects on label believability of probabilistic vs. definite stat ement of label instructions. Measures of perceived product dangerousness an d likelihood of product use, and cued recall for label contents were also o btained. Results indicated that explicit statement of the hazard-causing ag ent and the worst possible consequences, and definite statement of conseque nces increased label believability. Implications for behavioral effectivene ss are discussed.