Effects of a video warning sign and social modeling on behavioral compliance

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of different kinds of video presentations as methods to induce behavioral compliance to safety directives. In Experiment 1, the effects of: (i) a video sign warning alone, (ii) a video sign warning plus a role model, and (iii) a video sign warning plus a role model with an added voice warning were examined with respect to compliance with directed safety behaviors. The results indicated that behavioral compliance was significantly higher when participants were exposed to the videos containing the role model compared to the video sign alone. The addition of a voice warning to the sign plus role model condition produced no further increase in compliance over the condition without voice. Experiment 2 examined whether a delay between the time of exposure to the video and the time the safety behaviors were necessary would produce a decrease in compliance. In addition, the influence of a video role model and a voice warning on perceived importance of protective equipment was examined. Experiment 2 showed that a delay of several days did not reduce the effectiveness of a video warning. This result suggests that the behavioral change induced by the video is robust over time. In addition, a significant relationship between perceived importance of using safety equipment and behavioral compliance was demonstrated. Implications of this research for safety training programs and warnings are discussed.