During a weight loss trial, an obese participant received a substance described as a novel appetite-suppressing diet pill, though it actually contained powdered milk. Nevertheless, the participant reported reduced hunger ever since starting the pill, demonstrating the:
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Answer: D. placebo effect
Explanation
The participant received an inert substance containing only harmless powdered milk. The participant expected the pill to suppress appetite and help with weight loss. Experiencing real physiological changes solely due to expectations demonstrates the placebo effect. Placebos are inactive treatments administered to mimic active medical or psychological interventions. Expectancy and classical conditioning contribute significantly to observed placebo responses. Researchers use placebo controls to isolate the true pharmacological effects of drugs.
Clinical drug trials must account for placebo effects to prove medication effectiveness. Patients often report genuine pain relief from sugar pills due to psychological conditioning. Medical ethics require participants to know when placebos are used in research. A curvilinear relationship describes a U shaped or inverted association between two variables. Extraneous variables are undesirable confounding factors that can unintentionally influence experimental results. A natural experiment occurs when nature or policy changes create independent variable conditions.
- Subject
- Psychology
- Category
- Psychology
- Topic
- —
- Difficulty
- medium
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