Morendil comments on Belief in Belief - Less Wrong

66 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 29 July 2007 05:49PM

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Comment author: MixedNuts 22 June 2011 09:25:25AM 2 points [-]

The placebo effect is weakened but doesn't disappear if you know it's a placebo.

Comment author: Morendil 22 June 2011 03:39:11PM 1 point [-]

Citation needed :)

Comment author: MixedNuts 22 June 2011 03:46:59PM *  2 points [-]

Here's a study (honestly labeled placebo vs nothing) for irritable bowel syndrome.

I originally got it from a Science et Vie article on a study with four conditions (labeled as placebo vs as treatment; placebo vs treatment), can't remember what for.

Comment author: Morendil 22 June 2011 04:12:26PM 1 point [-]

I remember this from earlier, see my response in that thread, and my links to Silberman and Lipson.

The study may well be measuring patients' tendency to want to fulfill doctors' expectations rather than any effect on the actual symptoms.

Comment author: MixedNuts 22 June 2011 04:20:04PM 1 point [-]

I agree this study is a bit silly. I'll try to dig up the one I saw, but promise nothing.

Agree that the placebo effect may contain lying to doctors. There may also be some regression to the mean - people who are too healthy are excluded from the study, so when everyone moves at random the ones sick enough to be selected get healthier.

Comment author: Nornagest 22 June 2011 05:40:46PM *  1 point [-]

My understanding is that the studies establishing a placebo effect were controlled in a way that'd rule out regression to the mean as a cause of the perceived improvements. Lying to doctors does sound plausible, though.