The placebo in the context of scientific theories

Placebo is not a unitary concept. It can have different meanings, depending on the scientific discipline in which it is used. The placebo exists in psychology, medicine, and other sciences, and in each case it is assumed that the results obtained by the placebo are unexplainable. But the results tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Theory & psychology 2012-08, Vol.22 (4), p.513-526
Main Authors: Chóliz, Mariano, Capafons, Antonio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Clinical trials
Conceptualization
Medical treatment
Medicine
Pain
Pharmacology
Principles
Psychological effects
Psychology
Psychotherapy
Science
Theory
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Summary:Placebo is not a unitary concept. It can have different meanings, depending on the scientific discipline in which it is used. The placebo exists in psychology, medicine, and other sciences, and in each case it is assumed that the results obtained by the placebo are unexplainable. But the results that can’t be explained by a scientific discipline could be explained by another. For example, a sugar pill used in the treatment of pain could be a pharmacological placebo, but it isn’t a psychological placebo, because there is an explanation of its effects based in psychological principles. In this work, a conceptual analysis of placebo in the context of scientific theories is presented.
ISSN:0959-3543
1461-7447
DOI:10.1177/0959354311432903