Which of the following is true of the placebo condition?
A) Studies evaluating therapy effectiveness rarely have a placebo condition.
B) If the study is evaluating effectiveness of medication, the placebo has inert ingredients.
C) In a placebo condition, participants receive a treatment that is substantially different from the experimental treatment.
D) Ideally, the researchers would want the placebo participants to receive treatments of a different frequency and duration than the experimental group participants who are receiving psychotherapy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the study is evaluating the effectiveness of medication, the placebo has inert ingredients. This means that the placebo pill looks and tastes the same as the real medication, but it does not contain any active ingredients. This allows researchers to control for the psychological effects of taking a pill, while isolating the effects of the medication itself. The other options are false - placebo conditions are common in studies evaluating therapy effectiveness, the placebo treatment should be as similar as possible to the experimental treatment, and the duration and frequency of the treatments should be the same for all participants.

Which of the Following Is True of the Placebo Condition