Violet is participating in a new drug trial. For the past month, she has been taking an anti-anxiety medication and reporting on her moods, stress, and levels of anxiety. According to Violet, she feels better than she has for years. Most of her anxiety is gone, and she is able to handle stress better. What Violet doesn't know is that she is actually taking a sugar pill. That is, she is not actually taking a medication for anxiety. Violet's response to this medication is called:
A)placebo tolerance.
B)an unconditioned response (UCR).
C)an operant response.
D)a placebo response or placebo effect.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Violet's response is known as the placebo response or placebo effect, which refers to the phenomenon where a person experiences an improvement in their symptoms after receiving a treatment that does not have any active ingredients. This improvement is not due to the effects of the treatment itself, but rather due to the person's belief in the treatment and their expectation that it will help them. The placebo effect is a well-known and well-documented phenomenon in medicine and clinical trials.

Violet Is Participating in a New Drug Trial