Effects of warnings on responsibility allocation

Four experiments explored the effects of warnings on people's allocation of responsibility for product safety. Participants read descriptions of accident scenarios in which injuries occurred during the use of products. They then allocated responsibility to the manufacturer, retailer, or consumer (user). Results of two experiments indicated more responsibility was assigned to the consumer and less to the manufacturer when products were accompanied hy a warning (76%-94% to the consumer), compared to a no-warning condition (41%-68%). A third experiment compared responsibility allocations for good versus poor warnings. Consumers were assigned more responsihility (83%) with good warnings than with poor warnings (69%). The fourth experiment again showed warnings played a significant role in the allocations, but injury severity did not. Interactions in all four experiments indicated the role of warnings in responsibility allocations was less for products where the hazards are more obvious. In addition to implications for product safety, the results provide insights into jury decision making regarding the role of warnings in product liability litigation. t 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. This article presents the results of a series of experiments carried out to explore how warnings influence people's allocation of responsibility Psychology & Marketing Vol. 15(7):687-706 (October 1998) € 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. CCC 0742-6046/98/070687-20 687 for safety during consumer product use. Perceived responsibility is an important concern in safety. If a manufacturer perceives that the con- sumer of its product is primarily responsible for safety during use, it may give less attention to safety concerns. On the other hand, if the consumer perceives the manufacturer to be more responsible, he or she may exercise less care or caution when using the product. In either case, false perceptions of this sort may lead to more accidents, injuries, and property damage. In addition to its implications for safety during product use, the al- location of safety responsibility is an important factor in understanding jury decision making in product liability litigation. Warnings have been a significant issue in such litigation in recent years, and juries are often charged with taking into account the availability and quality of warn- ings in allocating responsibility for an accident/injury to various parties. There are several entities that might be considered candidates for such responsibility (Laughery, Lowoll, & Wogalter, 1995). Manufactur- ers must consider safety during design as well as in the manufacture and marketing of a product. Distributors and retailers have a respon- sibility for ensuring that safety information and materials are passed on to users. The user, of course, has responsibilities for safety during use. In some circumstances there may be other entities involved. For example, where products are being used by employees in the work en- vironment, employers may share responsibility for safe use (Lowoll, Laughery, McQuilkin, & Wogalter, 1996). Another example would be parents, who have supervisory responsibility for children using products (Laughery, Lowoll, & McQuilkin, 1996). Several recent studies have reported results regarding responsibility allocation for safety during consumer product use. Laughery et al. (1995) found that manufacturers, retailers, and users were allocated 50%, 20%, and 30%, respectively, across a variety of products.