ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the effects of warnings on measures of behavior. We begin with a review of a set of factors shown to influence behavioral intentions and compliance, including physical characteristics of warnings (e.g., font, color, content), attributes of the target audience (individual differences), situational factors (e.g., time pressure, cost of compliance, and modeling) and the interaction among these factors. Next, we present a theoretical framework to help explain how person and situational variables interact to influence compliance with warning messages and do so in the context of a process model developed to illustrate the interrelationships among these variables. As part of this discussion, we consider social cognitive theories that identify critical prefactual thoughts and emotions related to compliance. In a final section, we examine methodological issues and problems related to the study of warning compliance.
Warnings have three main goals (e.g., Wogalter & Laughery, 2005). First, they are a method for communicating safety-related information so that people can make better, more informed decisions regarding safety issues. Second, warnings can serve as reminders to individuals who may already know the hazards but
