FTC Announces Agenda for “Putting Disclosures to the Test”

The Federal Trade Commission has announced the agenda for its Sept. 15 workshop, Putting Disclosures to The Test, which will include 22 presentations covering a wide variety of topics on how consumers think about, notice, understand, and act on disclosures made to them in advertising and other materials.

The conference, which will take place in Washington, will also include opening remarks from FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, along with remarks by FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Jessica Rich and FTC Chief Technologist Lorrie Cranor.

The FTC has a long commitment to understanding and testing the effectiveness of consumer disclosures, and is especially interested in learning about the costs and benefits of disclosure testing methods in the digital age. Disclosures to consumers take many forms, from advertising disclosures to privacy policies and industry-specific statements covering jewelry, environmental claims, and more.

The day-long event will begin with a presentation on the cognitive models that govern how consumers process disclosures. From there, the presentations will be divided into six major topic areas: methods and procedures to evaluate the effectiveness of disclosures; whether and when people notice or pay attention to various types of disclosures; how much people understand or comprehend the information presented in disclosures; disclosures’ impact on consumers’ decision making processes; case studies; and a look at the future of research on disclosures.

The research participants will present at the workshop covers disclosures in a wide variety of environments, from online games to mobile platforms to nutrition labels. The researchers represent a number of institutions, including universities from across the U.S., government agencies, think tanks, testing firms, and private industry.

The workshop will take place at the FTC’s Constitution Center auditorum, located at 400 7th St, SW, Washington, DC, and is free and open to the public. It will begin at 9 a.m. ET and conclude at 5:30 p.m. ET. A full version of the agenda is available online. The event will also be available via live webcast.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.