@article{hicks_wogalter_vigilante_2005, title={Placement of benefits and risks in prescription drug manufacturers' websites and information source expectations}, volume={39}, ISSN={["0092-8615"]}, DOI={10.1177/009286150503900305}, abstractNote={Two studies addressed aspects related to consumers obtaining risk information about prescription drugs. The first study surveyed people’s beliefs and perceptions concerning the use of nine potential sources of prescription drug information (eg, physicians and pharmacists). Two hundred thirteen participants were asked to rate potential sources of prescription drug information according to: (1) likelihood-of-use, (2) perceived ease-of-use, and (3) completeness of information. Because manufacturers’ direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug websites were rated relatively high in Study 1, a second study was conducted to examine how benefit and risk information was being presented in manufacturers’ DTC websites. Study 2 consisted of an examination of website characteristics (eg, the number-of-clicks and amount of scrolling required) of 20 randomly chosen manufacturers’ DTC prescription drug websites in two separate time periods (March 2001 and July 2003). The current results suggest that risk information is more difficult to access than benefit information. Implications for the delivery of risk information are discussed with particular emphasis on the growing use of the World Wide Web.}, number={3}, journal={DRUG INFORMATION JOURNAL}, author={Hicks, KE and Wogalter, MS and Vigilante, WJ}, year={2005}, pages={267–278} }
 @article{wogalter_vigilante_2003, title={Effects of label format on knowledge acquisition and perceived readability by younger and older adults}, volume={46}, ISSN={["1366-5847"]}, DOI={10.1080/0014013021000048006}, abstractNote={This research examines consumers' information acquisition and preference for labels of a simulated over-the-counter (OTC) medication. Twelve otherwise identical OTC drug bottles were compared with different back labels varying in (a) print size, (b) amount of white space between text, and (c) label design (standard vs extended/pull-out). A no back label condition served as a control. Older (mean age=77.7 years) and younger (mean age=21 years) adults were given one of the 12 bottles and asked to perform one of two information acquisition tasks: (a) they examined the bottle for 3 minutes and then completed a questionnaire with the bottle absent, or (b) they answered the same questionnaire while the bottle was present. Afterwards, participants were given all of the bottles and asked to rank them according to perceived readability. The younger adults' information acquisition performance was significantly better than the older adults' for all label conditions except the control condition where both groups' low performance did not differ. Specifically, the older adults' performance was significantly better in the medium and large print conditions than in the small print conditions - with the latter conditions not differing from the control condition. Younger adults showed no performance differences among the different print-size conditions. No substantial effects on knowledge acquisition performance from the white space manipulations were found. However, the perceived readability ranks showed that both groups preferred larger print size and white space. The white space effect was smaller than for print size, particularly for older adults. The extended/pull-out label design was facilitative for older adults in that it allowed the use of larger print. The results suggest that older consumers may be unable to acquire information in the ‘fine’ print frequently found in various kinds of product literature.}, number={4}, journal={ERGONOMICS}, author={Wogalter, MS and Vigilante, WJ}, year={2003}, month={Mar}, pages={327–344} }
 @article{wogalter_vigilante_baneth_1998, title={Availability of operator manuals for used consumer products}, volume={29}, ISSN={["0003-6870"]}, DOI={10.1016/S0003-6870(97)00050-1}, abstractNote={This research investigates the availability of operator manuals for used (second-hand or resold) consumer products. One hundred people were solicited at a shopping mall and asked various questions about 20 common consumer products (e.g. car, computer, power lawn mower, bicycle, etc.). They were queried about: (a) whether they have ever purchased the products new and/or used and, if purchased used, whether it came with an operator manual or an instruction sheet, (b) whether they personally sold any of the products used, and if so, whether they transferred the operator manual to the receiver, (c) the desirability of having an operator manual; and (d) how much they would be willing to pay for a manual assuming they had to purchase it separately. Participants were also asked to rate each product on familiarity, hazard level, and difficulty of use, and to answer a set of general manual-related questions. A second survey solicited the opinions of 39 professional sellers (dealers) of used products. Findings from both surveys indicate that while operator manuals for some used products are transferred to purchasers at moderate frequencies, others are much lower. In general, participants believed that the inclusion of the operator manual would aid the sale of used products and they were willing to pay extra to have one (particularly for unfamiliar, more hazardous, difficult-to-use products). The results suggest that manufacturers ought to address ways that would make it more likely that consumers retain the operator manual and transfer it to subsequent purchasers at later resale. Additionally, convenient ways of obtaining replacement copies should be provided to ensure that important safety-related information reaches end users.}, number={3}, journal={APPLIED ERGONOMICS}, author={Wogalter, MS and Vigilante, WJ and Baneth, RC}, year={1998}, month={Jun}, pages={193–200} }
 @article{vigilante_wogalter_1998, title={Product manual safety warnings: the effects of ordering}, volume={42}, DOI={10.1177/154193129804200615}, abstractNote={ 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 ordered according to importance, obviousness, nonobviousness, the manufacturer's (original) ordering, or no warnings were present. Participants examined the manual for three minutes or had unlimited time. Later, participants were tested on their knowledge of warning-related material. Analysis showed that males and females produced different patterns of results. For males, the manual with the least obvious hazards first was best; for females, the manual with the most obvious hazards first was best. It is suggested that these results may be at partially due to product familiarity. The results indicate that the ordering of warnings can influence the amount of warning information that people acquire and that the best ordering might depend on such factors as the demographics or familiarity of the users. }, number={1998}, journal={Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting}, author={Vigilante, W. J. and Wogalter, M. S.}, year={1998}, pages={593–597} }
 @article{vigilante_wogalter_1997, title={On the prioritization of safety warnings in product manuals}, volume={20}, ISSN={["0169-8141"]}, DOI={10.1016/S0169-8141(96)00061-3}, abstractNote={Most warning research has focused on how to best present individual hazards on signs and labels. However, many products have multiple hazards and to date there has been very little research on how to effectively present multi-hazard warnings. The present paper studies the sequencing of safety warnings in product manuals using warning statements from manuals of three power tools, each having multiple hazards associated with their use, maintenance, and storage. This research also examines the relationship between statement orderings and several user-belief dimensions. One group of 25 participants ordered sets of warning statements based on how they believed the warnings should be listed in the manuals. Another group of 25 participants rated each warning statement on importance, injury severity, injury likelihood, and prior awareness. The results provide a quantitative summary of preferred statement order that could be useful in assembling warning lists in manuals. Three of the four belief dimensions had substantial negative correlations with mean rank; the fourth, prior awareness, showed a weaker relationship. Empirical assessment of warning statements might be useful in prioritizing multiple warnings in product manuals to better transmit product-related hazards to users. Relevance to industry The present study demonstrates a procedure that could be useful to product and equipment manufacturers on how to prioritize lengthy lists of warning hazards. Empirical determination of the sequencing of safety messages may increase the likelihood that important information will be read and decrease the likelihood of product liability suits that allege inadequate hazard warnings.}, number={4}, journal={INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ERGONOMICS}, author={Vigilante, WJ and Wogalter, MS}, year={1997}, month={Oct}, pages={277–285} }
 @article{vigilante_wogalter_1997, title={The preferred order of over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical label components}, volume={31}, DOI={10.1177/009286159703100341}, abstractNote={Recently there has been increasing interest in enabling consumers to more easily acquire information from over-the-counter (OTC) nonprescription pharmaceutical labels. Standardization of label formatting is being considered by industry, government, and health-related professional organizations as a way to facilitate their usability. Standardization can assist consumers in quickly locating information relevant to the safe use of medications. The present research sought to determine whether consumers prefer a certain consistent ordering of OTC drug label component headings. If such consistency is found, the results could serve as a partial basis for a standardized format. Results showed relatively consistent orders across four drugs, three participant groups (adults attending a flea market, older adults, and undergraduates) and four scenarios in which the drugs may be used (scenarios concerning the purchase, consumption, administration to another person, and taking into consideration all possible situations the drug may be used in). A different ordering was found for emergency situations involving the drug. In general, people prefer labels that first provide what the drug is used for (indications), second provide information on associated hazards (warnings, cautions, drug interaction precautions) and use (directions), and third provide information on active ingredients. For emergency situations, however, people prefer having the associated hazards and directions listed first, followed by the indications and active ingredients. The remaining components were ordered (across all scenarios) as follows: safety seal, inactive ingredients, storage instructions, manufacturer information, and the bar code. It is suggested that implementation of label standardization should have sections located to match people’s expectations or schemas.}, number={3}, journal={Drug Information Journal}, author={Vigilante, W. J. and Wogalter, M. S.}, year={1997}, pages={973–988} }