Effects of culture (China vs. US) and task on perceived hazard: Evidence from product ratings, label ratings, and product to label matching

In the current study, 44 Chinese and 40 US college students rated their perceived hazard in response to warning labels and products and attempted to match products with warning labels communicating the same level of hazard. Chinese participants tended to provide lower ratings of hazard in response to labels, but hazard perceived in response to products did not significantly differ as a function of culture. When asked to match a product with a warning label, Chinese participants' hazard perceptions appeared to be better calibrated, than did US participants', across products and labels. The results are interpreted in terms of constructivist theory which suggests that risk perceptions vary depending on the “frame of mind” evoked by the environment/context. Designers of warnings must be sensitive to the fact that product users' cognitive representations develop within a culture and that risk perceptions will vary based on the context in which they are derived.