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Example of the Placebo Effect in a Drug Trial
In a clinical trial for a new antidepressant, an experimental group receives the actual medication while a control group is given an inert substance, like a sugar pill. Participants are kept unaware of their group assignment. This blinding is essential because a participant who simply believes they have received an effective pill might report feeling better due to this expectation alone, rather than any pharmacological effect. This demonstrates the placebo effect, and the experimental design's purpose is to distinguish the drug's true effects from this power of expectation.
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Ch.2 Psychological Research - Psychology @ OpenStax
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Example of the Placebo Effect in a Drug Trial
A research team is studying the effectiveness of a new herbal supplement designed to enhance concentration. One group of participants receives the actual supplement, while a second group receives a pill that looks identical but contains only an inert substance. After one week, both groups show a significant improvement in their ability to concentrate on a difficult task. Which psychological principle best explains the improvement observed in the group that received the inert pill?
Double-Blind Study
Which of the following statements best defines the placebo effect in the context of psychological research?