PREDICTION OF REACTION TO PLACEBO

Employed expectations of drug effect and openness to experience as predictors of placebo response. 99 62-94 yr. olds received either drug or placebo for 8 days. Before and after therapy short-term memory was tested and S questioned about change anticipated or experienced. An analysis of variance revealed that the 2 drugs had no noticeable effect. A similar analysis of expectations yielded significant F ratios. Openness had no predictive value. Expectations correlated significantly with the subjective measure of placebo reaction (experienced change) as well as with a behavioral criterion (improved short-term memory). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.