It's not called the stay-the-same-anyway effect, it's called the get-better-anyway effect.
I agree, but here I am (uncharacteristically :-/) inclined to the charitable reading and treat "it" in "it provides no benefit whatsoever" as referencing placebo.
I would also think of regression to the mean (in this context) as an observable manifestation of "natural recovery" and not oppose them.
I think the structure of the paragraph is pretty clear (differentiating sentence, name A, explain A, name B, explain B, compare A and B), and the rest of the article matches my interpretation.
I would also think of regression to the mean (in this context) as an observable manifestation of "natural recovery" and not oppose them.
Yes, one could say that natural recovery is the mechanism by which regression to the mean works.
The chief thing I'm objecting to is the idea that the regression is in some way illusory or nonexistent. In the discussion ...
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.
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