**Those who took supplements performed better in their IQ tests than those who received placebo.**
Its just that i dont understand the word "placebo".
2007-03-17 06:16:48 · 20 answers · asked by Miss Terious 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
A placebo is a sugar pill that has no effect, but the person is made to think it works
2007-03-17 06:48:00 · answer #1 · answered by Experto Credo 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A placebo is just a control pill, e.g. a vitamin or other harmless tablet that is given so that the results of the experiment can be compared accurately.
In English, a placebo is just something to give people so that whoever's doing the experiment can observe the people who took the other pill in contrast with poeple who were given, basically, nothing.
Normally, in an experiment, the subjects aren't aware of exactly what they're given. They might be given the actual medicine or just a placebo. That way, they wouldn't try to do anything except what they would normally do in the experiment.
2007-03-17 07:15:03 · answer #2 · answered by Off the Key of Reason 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Placebo - An inactive substance or preparation used as a control in an experiment or test to determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug.
Those who took supplements performed better in their IQ test than those who received placebos.
What was stated here is that in a experiment that is to test a substance believed to increase they needed to give half the group nothing and the other half the test substance in order to achieve to data they are looking for, which is to see if the substance increases the IQ.
'placebo' comes from the Latin word 'placēre' which means 'to please'. This word was recorded in the medical sense in 1785, "a medicine given more to please than to benefit the patient."
2007-03-17 06:33:22 · answer #3 · answered by Catie I 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A placebo is traditionally a sugar pill--it's a capsule or pill with no active ingredients. It looks like a real pill but it doesn't do anything; they're used as a blind in medical testing to see if the actual drug is effective or if it's just the psychological reaction to "taking medicine". When the mind heals the body like this, it's known as the "placebo affect."
2007-03-17 06:26:37 · answer #4 · answered by anna 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Placebo is a word meaning fake. So your sentance really says "Those who took supplements preformed better in their IQ test than those who recieved the fake drugs.
2007-03-18 23:30:41 · answer #5 · answered by tnlongyrs 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The meaning:
pla·ce·bos or pla·ce·boes
1.
a. A substance containing no medication and prescribed or given to reinforce a patient's expectation to get well.
b. An inactive substance or preparation used as a control in an experiment or test to determine the effectiveness of a medicinal drug.
Your sentence rephrased:
If you take a supplement you will do better on tests.
2007-03-17 06:37:49 · answer #6 · answered by lady01love 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Those who took supplements (ie the real supplement) performed better than those who received placebo (the sugar pill). As has already been said, when taking any form of supplement of drug, often it's the mind, thinking that what you've taken will cure you, rather than the pill itself, which heals the body!
2007-03-17 06:27:52 · answer #7 · answered by jet-set 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To test something properly you need to test it against a pretend something (placebo). So if the real thing works the pretend thing will fail. I.e taking supplements (vitamins) improves your IQ.
2007-03-17 09:04:13 · answer #8 · answered by Bunny 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Placebo means a pill or something that you are given to take which contains nothing of any medical nature but which you think will help you!
2007-03-17 08:00:45 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A placebo is a pill without any medicinal content, just a sugarcoated pill or tablet.
It is given to people making them believe they are treated or as in your sentence, they are taking supplements while really they are being fooled.
Often patients react to this treatment as good as to 'real' medicine, just the 'believing' does the trick.
McGonagall
2007-03-17 06:24:21 · answer #10 · answered by McGonagall 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋