Sandy Sue was participating in an experiment in which she was given a pill that was supposed to cause her to get drowsy. Five minutes after taking the pill, Sandy Sue reported that she felt drowsy and wanted to lie down. The pill was actually made of sugar and had no ingredients to cause drowsiness. How do you explain Sandy Sue's drowsy feeling?
A) experimenter effect
B) placebo effect
C) subject bias
D) treatment effect

Question

Sandy Sue was participating in an experiment in which she was given a pill that was supposed to cause her to get drowsy. Five minutes after taking the pill, Sandy Sue reported that she felt drowsy and wanted to lie down. The pill was actually made of sugar and had no ingredients to cause drowsiness. How do you explain Sandy Sue's drowsy feeling?
A) experimenter effect
B) placebo effect 
C) subject bias 
D) treatment effect

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The placebo effect refers to the phenomenon where the belief that one is receiving a treatment, whether or not it is actually an active treatment, results in a perceived improvement in symptoms or outcome. In this case, Sandy Sue believed that she was taking a pill that would cause drowsiness, and as a result, she experienced drowsiness even though the pill was actually made of sugar and had no active ingredients.

Sandy Sue Was Participating in an Experiment in Which She