Although her doctor has done nothing but examine her arthritic hands,elderly Mae feels less pain,apparently because she believes that the doctor has done something for her.Mae's improvement is an example of:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mae's improvement is a result of the placebo effect, which occurs when a patient's belief in a treatment leads to improved symptoms or outcomes, even if the treatment itself is inert or has no real therapeutic effect. In this case, Mae's belief that the doctor has done something for her has led to a reduction in her pain, even though the doctor has not actually provided any medication or treatment for her arthritis. The other options (B, C, and D) do not accurately describe Mae's situation. The regression effect refers to the tendency for extreme or unusual scores to regress toward the mean over time, and does not apply in this case. Spontaneous remission refers to the unexpected improvement or disappearance of symptoms without any specific treatment, which is not what has occurred in Mae's case. Observer expectancy refers to the tendency for researchers or clinicians to unintentionally influence the behavior or outcomes of their study participants or patients based on their own expectations or biases, which is also not relevant to Mae's situation.

Although Her Doctor Has Done Nothing but Examine Her Arthritic