Connoted Strength of Signal Words by Elderly and Non-Native English Speakers

A number of recent studies have examined the connoted strength of signal words used in sign and product label warnings. These words, such as DANGER, WARNING, and CAUTION, are intended to differentiate various levels of hazard (high to low, respectively). Until recently, most studies have only used college students to evaluate signal words. Other populations who are at least equal to or possess greater risk of injury have not been studied. The main purpose of the present research was to determine whether other populations of persons, namely the elderly and non-native English speakers, derive similar meanings (i.e., connoted levels of hazard) from the signal words as have been shown in previous work for college students, as well as, for a sample of grade-school children tested in Silver and Wogalter (1991). A sample of 98 elderly persons and 135 non-native English speakers rated 43 potential signal words on how careful they would be after seeing each term. The results showed that the rank ordering of the words was consistent across both groups and this order corresponded with the ratings from earlier-studied populations. Moreover, there was a significant negative linear relationship between the number of words the non-native English speakers left blank and ratings of understandability by college students in previous research. The forensic implications and practical relevance of these results for hazard communication to diverse populations are discussed.