The Placebo Effect

Overview

Objectives/Goals I wanted to find out if the placebo effect worked on 4th-6th graders. I wanted to see if a piece of Botan Rice Candy that (they were told) "stimulates the cerebellum" would make people make more basketball shots. Methods/Materials I tested 18 4th-6th graders with signed permission forms. The first thing the subject did was shoot ten lay-ups. I recorded the number they made, and then explained that the Botan Rice Candy I was about to give them would "stimulate the cerebellum" and make them shoot baskets better. After they finished eating the candy, I had them shoot another ten lay-ups. I recorded the number they made, and determined by how many baskets they increased or decreased. Results 56% of the subjects' shooting performance increased. One-third (33.33%) of the subjects decreased. 11% of the subjects made the same number of baskets before and after eating the candy. The majority of people improved by one basket. Conclusions/Discussion The placebo effect partly worked. It was expected that the subjects' performance would increase a lot after eating the candy, but most people only increased by one or two baskets.

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Behavioral & Social Sciences · Entry J0309

Resources

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