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Justin Lakin
Psych 1030
June 7, 2024
Unit 1 Writing Assignment
Topic 1:
In an effort to describe the basic elements of an experiment to find a psychological cause for the
Placebo Effect, we will follow a similar outline to the hypothetical Alzheimer's experiment outlined in
the textbook. First, we should seek to establish a pool, or selection, of subjects for the experiment. For
the sake of simplicity, we will assume we have access to a population of willing participants, from
whom we will select 100 subjects at random. These subjects will be divided into two groups of 50 each,
one being our “experimental” group and the other being our “control.” From here, there are a number
of potential methods that could be used to determine a cause for the placebo effect. For instance, we
could provide the experimental group with a placebo drug, describe a series of fake side effects, and
conduct a survey among them both prior to and following ingestion of the “drug.” The control group
would be issued the same survey, though they would not receive any treatment. Another potential
method, if we wish to instead take a more bio-psychological approach, would be to conduct
neuroimaging scans on each participant, possibly with MI, with the experimental group being scanned
prior to and following the ingestion of the placebo drug. These scans will be compared against the
control group to check for any possible activity in different areas of the brain that may indicate a
possible origin for the placebo effect.
Topic 2:
It's difficult to narrow down a specific bio-psychological cause for the placebo effect. I believe,
depending on the context, that it could be related to any number of neuropeptides. In the case of the
placebo effect in relation to medical treatment, for instance, the placebo effect may be influenced by
the release of endorphins in the brain. In regards to the placebo effect as relating to expectations in an
experiment or survey, it could possibly be related to the release of acetylcholine, norepinephrine, or
glutamate.
