Date of Award
1989
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Correlates of reading and noticing warnings on consumer products and of consumers' purchasing intentions were examined using ratings of 26 household pest-control products. Seventy college undergraduates were asked to respond to a 19-item questionnaire assessing subjects' perceptions of each product's packaging, labeling, and warning characteristics. Additional data was collected by coding the products for several packaging and warning characteristics, and product effectiveness. The results showed that the products perceived as more hazardous, potent, likely to cause injury, and difficult to use contained warnings that subjects reported they would more likely notice and read. A different cluster of variables were predictive of purchasing intention and included product familiarity, packaging attractiveness, and confidence in knowing the hazards. The relative independence of subjects' purchasing intentions and the variables predictive of noticing and reading warnings suggests that manufacturers can place appropriate and effective warnings on products without the fear of reduced consumer buying intentions.
Recommended Citation
Ponsi, Kathryn Anne, "Prediction of reading pesticide warnings and consumer purchasing intentions" (1989). Honors Theses. 588.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/honors-theses/588