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Abstract: The effects of two printed instruction variables on computer task performance are examined. In written tutorial instructions , illustrative screen pictographs were either present or absent, and text was either in a paragraph or list format. Analysis of errors, help requests, and completion time showed that best performance was i;>roducedby subjects using list-format instructions containing…

Abstract: This study examined whether the ordering or sequencing of hazard warnings in product manuals affects users’acquisition of safety information. Participants were given one of five manuals that differed only in the warning sequencing. Warnings were or&red according to importance, obviousness,nonobviousness, the manufacturer’s (original) ordering, or no warnings were present. Participants examined the manual for three…

Abstract: To indicate a prohibited activity, pictorials are frequently overlaid with a red circle and 45 ° left-to-right slash. Previous research suggests that the combination of the slash and symbol may affect the overall identifiability of the warning. The purpose of the present research was to determine whether people’s judgments of four types of the circle-slash…

Abstract: Rapid declines in available landfill space have sparked specific interest in recycling programs focused on increasing the quantity of materials recycled. This focus on"quantity, rather than quality, has produced a glut of paper which currently comprises nearly 40% of all solid waste produced each year in the U.S. In recent years, recycling facilities have become…

Abstract: Richard N. Bean Department of Economics University of Houston Houston, TX 77204 USA A study addressing jury decisions regarding punitive damages awards i n civil litigation was carried out. Two issues explored were the fkct that jurors typically do not have a good metric for assigning a value to such damages and the concept of…

Abstract: Motor vehicle crash fatalities involving pedestrians result in 1.8 deaths per 100,000 population annually in the US. Most of these fatalities are attributed to the pedestrian not being seen in time for the driver to avoid a collision, particularly under poor lighting conditions. Previous research shows that reflective clothing worn at night significantly increases a…

Abstract: Motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians result in 1.8 deaths per 100,000 population annually in the U.S. Most of these fatalities are attributed to pedestrians not being seen in time for the driver to avoid a collision, particularly under poor visibility conditions. Previous research shows that reflective clothing worn at night can substantially increase pedestrians' visual…

Abstract: John W. Brelsford, Jr. Dept. of Psychology Rice University Houston, TX 77005 The degree of caution that people are willing to take for a given product is largely determined by their perceptions of the risk associated with that product. Research suggests that risk perceptions are determined by the objective likelihood or probability of encountering potential…

Abstract: T his rese a rch was conducted to de t ermine how risk inform a tion is presented within direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertisements on the World Wide Web (WWW). Twenty prescription drug manufacturers' web sites were examined with respect to risk and benefit information placement. Measured were (a) the number of clicks required to view…