PLACEBOSALEX GHORBANI

CAMERON CHIARAMONTE

Question If you tell someone that an object will affect their abilities, will it get to their head and will they perform better?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A placebo is a simulated or medically ineffectual treatment, typically for diseases, designed to deceive the recipient. Sometimes patients given a placebo treatment will have a perceived or actual improvement in a medical condition, a phenomenon commonly called the placebo effect. Sometimes the placebo is in the form of a sugar pill, but a placebo can also be an injection, a liquid, or even a procedure. It’s designed to look like a real treatment, but doesn’t directly affect the illness.

HYPOTHESISOur hypothesis is that the kids who think that the band is real will increase their performance when they put it on and the kids who know it’s fake will stay around the same.

PROCEDURE 

For this test we used a power-balance because it is placebo that many people think is real. We told half of our test subjects it was real and half it was fake, as a control. First we told the person that the band was either real or fake. Then we would have them balance on one foot and push down on their arm to see how long they would stay up for. Next we would have them repeat the test but with the power-balance on. Then we had them do another test where they would go on their back and support themselves with their arms and legs. Then we would ask them to lift one leg then 10 seconds later the opposite arm. Then they would repeat the test with the power-balance on. Then we would record our findings. If the subject improved by more than 2 seconds it was considered improvement.

OBSERVATIONS (FAKE)

SUBJECT 1 SUBJECT 2 SUBJECT 3

2.6 15 4.1 4.3 4.6 12.5

2 14.8 4 4.3 4.612.6

SUBJECT 4 SUBJECT 5 SUBJECT 6

9.5 15.5 6.1 10.5 10.4 22

9.7 16.8 7.3 10.8 10.5 23.6

OBSERVATIONS (FAKE)

SUBJECT 7 SUBJECT 8 SUBJECT 9

9.2 17.4 7.2 8.1 10.6 15.6

10.4 20 7.6 6.9 10.8 15.6

SUBJECT 10 SUBJECT 11SUBJECT 12

15.3 20.8 19.5 23.5 12.5 23.5

15.7 21.1 20 22.7 13 22.8

OBSERVATIONS(FAKE)

SUBJECT 13 SUBJECT 14

21.5 31 13.5 21.6

21.9 31.6 13.8 22.1

OBSERVATIONS (REAL)

SUBJECT 1 SUBJECT 2 SUBJECT 3

16.9 12.9 4.6 21.5 4.6 14.7

33.2 19.5 10.5 33 8.4 22.6

SUBJECT 4 SUBJECT 5 SUBJECT 6

4.1 14.2 11.3 14.7 7.5 23.4

7.9 23.8 15.6 19.5 10.3 35.7

OBSERVATIONS (REAL)

SUBJECT 7 SUBJECT 8 SUBJECT 9

16.7 49.6 18.6 28.8 15.7 23.6

19.5 1:08.5 25.7 33.1 18.429.2

SUBJECT 10 SUBJECT 11SUBJECT 12

13.5 25.4 16.7 24.5 10.5 16.8

16.2 28.9 20.2 28.9 14.8 20

OBSERVATIONS (REAL)

SUBJECT 13 SUBJECT 14

18.5 26.7 18.5 28.9

23 30.9 25.7 34.7

CONCLUSIONOur hypothesis was correct, when the kids who thought the power-balance was real put it on they preformed better because of the placebo effect.

The average increase for the kids who thought it was real was 5.1 seconds while the average increase for the kids who knew it was fake was 0.3 seconds.