Dr. Baxter conducts an experiment investigating the effectiveness of a new antacid on reducing stomach pain. He recruits 100 chronic sufferers of acid indigestion, and places them in four groups, each receiving a different amount of medication

The first group receives a sham pill because it contains none of the new antacid whatsoever. He is very surprised, however, when he finds that group one reports a statistically significant reduction in stomach pain after taking their pill. Which of the following best explains why the participants in group one showed a response to the pill, even when it had no active ingredient?
a. The subject-expectancy effect
b. Demand characteristics
c. The placebo effect
d. The observer-expectancy effect


Answer: C

Psychology

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