Dr. Rivera is examining the effect of treatment on Internet addiction. He is comparing the additive effect of antidepressant, antianxiety, and sedative medications on the compulsion to use the Internet. Dr. Rivera randomly assigns participants into conditional groups. Theo believes he has been taking an antidepressant medication for the last 6 weeks; however, at the debriefing he learns he was taking a water pill. Theo was most likely in what type of group?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Theo was most likely in a placebo group, where participants are given a treatment that has no active ingredients or therapeutic effect, but is believed by the participant to be a real medication. This type of control group is used to assess the true effectiveness of the treatment being tested by providing a baseline against which to compare the actual treatment group.

Dr Rivera Is Examining the Effect of Treatment on Internet