Cry Wolf Syndrome
Cry Wolf Syndrome :
A common assumption is that warnings not followed by the anticipated hazard will cause people to ignore future warnings. If false warnings are a regular occurrence, the public may begin to pay less attention to future warnings. However, there is no solid research that shows relatively rare false warnings have such an effect. The objective is to educate the public about uncertainty so that they can comprehend that false warnings arise from inherent uncertainty rather than from poor professional practice. One implication of this lesson is that warning systems should be designed to only alert and warn those at risk. A warning system that continually warns many people not at risk may lose credibility and the public will pay less attention". (PPW, Protecting America's Communities, 2004, 8)
