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More than facts: How stories shape safety intentions
Rebecca Cairns1, E Kevin Kelloway1
1Department of Psychology, Saint Mary's University.
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology
|October 16, 2025
Summary
Stories in safety training can boost safety intentions by immersing individuals in narratives. However, this study found stories did not significantly improve knowledge acquisition in safety contexts.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Communication Studies
- Occupational Safety
Background:
- Stories are widely used in safety contexts, but research on their effectiveness in safety training is limited.
- The impact of narrative structure on safety communication and learning remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of stories in communicating safety information.
- To examine whether narrative structure influences safety-related intentions and knowledge acquisition.
Main Methods:
- Two experimental studies were conducted with participants recruited via Prolific.
- Participants were randomly assigned to one of three video conditions (narrative vs. non-narrative).
- Surveys and knowledge tests were administered to assess safety intentions and knowledge acquisition.
Main Results:
- Narrative transportation was identified as a key mechanism linking stories to improved safety intentions.
- No significant effect of story condition was found on knowledge test scores.
- Study 1 included 200 participants, and Study 2 included 150 participants.
Conclusions:
- Stories show potential for enhancing safety intentions through narrative transportation.
- The effectiveness of stories for direct knowledge transfer in safety training requires further investigation.
- Future research should focus on identifying components of effective safety narratives.
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