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The Influence of Pictorials on Evaluations of Prescription Medication Instructions

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Abstract

Nonverbal symbols such as pictorials are increasingly being used to convey safety-related information. Pictorials may be useful to persons who cannot read printed verbal messages because of inadequate reading skills or unfamiliarity with the language used in the message. One application for pictorials is in the depiction of safety and warning information on pharmaceutical products. The present study examined consumer preference by evaluating prescription medication instructions which differed in textual and pictorial presentation format. Results indicate that participants preferred a fully redundant (combined) text and pictorials format, rating it more effective and easier to understand and remember. The data also show a strong preference for text-only compared to pictorials-only instructions. Furthermore, there was no difference between text-only and partial pictorial (text with an incomplete set of corresponding pictorials) formats, indicating the belief that a complete absence of pictorials was just as effective as a limited set of pictorials. The results have implications for accompanying textual instructions with an incomplete set of pictorials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, United States Air Force, 640 Poe Hall, Campus Box 7801, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Russell J. Sojourner PhD (Major)

  2. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

    Michael S. Wogalter PhD (Associate Professor of Psychology)

Authors
  1. Russell J. Sojourner PhD
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  2. Michael S. Wogalter PhD
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Sojourner, R.J., Wogalter, M.S. The Influence of Pictorials on Evaluations of Prescription Medication Instructions. Ther Innov Regul Sci 31, 963–972 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1177/009286159703100340

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