Social Behavior Research and Practice

Over the past few months, we have witnessed a number of tragedies that could potentially have been prevented. These include the alligator attack on a 2-year old boy at Disney and the shooting of Harambe the Gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo when a child made his way into the exhibit area. Perhaps, better and more salient warning signs would have made a difference. Recently, there has been a game sweeping the nation called Pokémon Go. The players use global positioning system (GPS) devices to locate these virtual creatures in real-life areas. Consequently, some players are so engrossed in the game that they forget their surroundings. Hence, people have been known to cross streets without looking, wound up in desolate or potentially dangerous areas at night, or even cause traffic congestion. All of these incidents may lead to serious accidents. Although it is equivocal as to whether the manufacturer of Pokémon Go is legally responsible for the accidents and harm to those who play, nevertheless, it appears that new warnings are accompanying the game.1 Based on the article by Heldman,1 these warnings include “Remember to be alert at all times, stay aware of your surroundings”; “Do not enter dangerous areas while playing Pokémon Go”; “Do not play Pokémon Go while driving”; “Do not trespass while playing Pokémon Go.” After each warning is presented, the user clicks on the OK button to reveal the next warning. After all warnings have been acknowledged, then the user may proceed with the game. However, the question is will these warnings really be effective? There are a number of studies reporting that the presence of a warning leads to greater behavioral compliance than not having one.2-6 In my humble opinion, if a warning can save even one life, then it was well worth the time, effort, and money to construct one. Therefore, what should it take to have an effective warning? In this brief editorial, I will not be able to entertain every facet of a warning. However, I do want to quickly address a handful of variables that may lead to salience and ultimate compliance. These variables include signal words, color, and icons.