Strength and understanding of signal words by elementary and middle school students

Michael S. Wogalter Department of Psychology Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 12180 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. On.c purpos~ of the present research was to determine if the hazard levels implied by signal words connote the same relative meaning to a dl~ferent population of persons, namely elementary and middle-school students. A second purpose was to assess the understandablhty of signal words using an objective measure based on the number of missing ratings (i.e., ratings lett blank). A third purpos~ was to develop a list of potential signal words that would be understandable to most younger persons. Elementary and m~~dle- 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 understandabtllty. Although the younger students gave higher carefulness ratings to the words than did the college students, the rank ord.er.ol the words was consIstent across participant groups. In addition, ratings of understandability by college students were predlcUve of the tenns 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 arc discussed, including implications for hazard communication to persons of different populations.