In drug-treatment studies, double-blind procedures minimize outcome differences

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Double-blind procedures are used in drug-treatment studies to minimize the placebo effect, which could result in outcome differences between the experimental and control conditions. The placebo effect refers to the positive or negative changes that occur in a participant's symptoms or behaviors as a result of their belief in receiving treatment, rather than the actual effects of the drug itself. Double-blind procedures ensure that both the participants and the researchers are unaware of who is receiving the real drug versus a placebo, thereby reducing the potential for bias in the results. Double-blind procedures do not directly address replication, operational definitions, or random sampling.

In Drug-Treatment Studies, Double-Blind Procedures Minimize Outcome Differences