The Placebo Effect

It’s all in the mind

Mia Uy

Mr. Nadal, Rm 303

What Is The Placebo Effect?

The Placebo Effect is a fake medicine, procedure, or any type of prescription given to a patient to make them think they feel some type of physical improvement ( stronger, faster, better eyesight, etc.). It all has to do with the patients belief that the product will work. The placebo effect is not only for the physical improvement, but the psychological benefit, leading to the physical improvement. We see examples of the placebo effect everyday—kids fall down “hurt.” Then their parents kiss it and put a band aid on. Magically its all better.

Materials:Dry Cherry Soda---- 2 TBS ( 15 mL)cups Food Coloring----- 1 drop Our Experiment-

As our experiment, we took four girls and four boys. We gave them each three small doses of the same drink, but they were all dyed different colors (red, blue, and green). We told them the three drinks were different. We asked each person to try each of the drinks, and tell us which was the sweetest, which was the least sweetest, and which one was in the middle.

My Hypothesis was that no one would catch on, because of the power of suggestion.

Our controlled variables were we gave each person the same amount of drink, same amount of dye, same drink, and same age groups.

Our manipulated variables were there were different people.

Why Did Our Experiment Work?

We see the placebo effect everyday—kids fall down “hurt.” Then their parents kiss it and put a band aid on. Magically its all better. In this case the placebo worked because we used the power of suggestion. We told them to judge off of taste, but since all of them tasted the same, the “next best thing,” was to judge it off of color, so that’s what people tended to do. No one wanted to tell us that they all tasted the same because we had made the drinks and they thought we had to be sure that all the drinks were the same. Ignoring their own taste, they were overpowered by thought. So, with the power of suggestion, the placebo effect is only in your mind. The Placebo effect also has to do with authority, the power or right to make decisions or enforce decisions. If a doctor, (which has high authority) prescribes you a placebo and tells you this pill will make you feel stronger, you want to believe him/her, because you know he/she has to be smart because he/she is a doctor (Typically to become a doctor you go through about eleven through sixteen years).

Thank you for watching!

And Special Thanks To…

CADEEVA ETHANSHERIDANMASON CERIA LILALEO