Renaldo visits his physician, complaining of pain in his left knee, ankle, and big toe. After a series of exhaustive tests, the doctors can find no physical, physiological, or medical explanation for this perceived pain. The physician tells Renaldo that

a new experimental drug, Suproxin, has been shown to be useful in these cases, and urges Renaldo to take two pills a day for two weeks. In reality, Suproxin is simply a sugar pill with no active or medicinal ingredients, yet Renaldo reports feeling cured at the end of the two-week period. What is producing Renaldo’s improvement in this situation?

a) the placebo effect
b) an unknown ingredient in Suproxin
c) the effects of medical science
d) surgical relief


Answer: a

Psychology

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