Why Is It Important to Include a Placebo in a Scientific

question 37

Multiple Choice

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 do so-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-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.

---

Definitions:

Cancer Survivors

Individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer and have completed treatment, now living with or beyond the disease.

Medical Model

The concept that diseases, in this case psychological disorders, have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital.

Chemical Imbalance

A theorized condition proposed to result from disruptions in neurotransmitter levels, often associated with psychiatric disorders.

Central Nervous System

Comprises the brain and spinal cord, functioning as the primary control center for processing and interpreting information in the body.