Why is it important to include a placebo in a scientific study to assess the effectiveness of a drug?
A) It's actually unethical to include a placebo and it is usually not done. If you have a drug that you know to be effective, it's unethical to withhold that treatment from an ill patient.
B) A placebo-treated group will determine if the changes observed in the drug-treated illness group are due to a psychological effect rather than a physiologic/pharmacologic one.
C) It isn't scientifically important to include a placebo. A placebo simply helps investigators satisfy the legal requirements of the Food and Drug Administration in their testing process.
D) A placebo-treated group will determine if the changes observed in the illness in this non-treated group are due to a physiologic/pharmacologic effect rather than a psychological one.
E) Both groups of people are actually given the drug and a placebo. This is a way to ensure patient compliance, without which the study would not yield any useable information.

Question

Why is it important to include a placebo in a scientific study to assess the effectiveness of a drug?
A) It's actually unethical to include a placebo and it is usually not done. If you have a drug that you know to be effective, it's unethical to withhold that treatment from an ill patient.
B) A placebo-treated group will determine if the changes observed in the drug-treated illness group are due to a psychological effect rather than a physiologic/pharmacologic one.
C) It isn't scientifically important to include a placebo. A placebo simply helps investigators satisfy the legal requirements of the Food and Drug Administration in their testing process.
D) A placebo-treated group will determine if the changes observed in the illness in this non-treated group are due to a physiologic/pharmacologic effect rather than a psychological one.
E) Both groups of people are actually given the drug and a placebo. This is a way to ensure patient compliance, without which the study would not yield any useable information.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Including a placebo-treated group is important because it allows researchers to determine whether the changes observed in the drug-treated illness group are due to a psychological effect (placebo effect) or a physiologic/pharmacologic effect of the drug. This helps to ensure that any observed treatment effects are actually due to the drug itself and not just the patient's belief in the efficacy of the treatment.

Why Is It Important to Include a Placebo in a Scientific