Abstract
A placebo treatment is traditionally administered in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial to control for the ‘real’ effects of the treatment under investigation. In the present paper a broader view of the placebo is proposed, one in which the idea of a potentially ‘useable’ placebo component of a sports or exercise medicine treatment is presented. It is argued that many interventions in sport and exercise psychology might contain a placebo component that could be capitalized upon by practitioners, through processes often as simple as communicating positive expectations of a treatment to clients. Research findings relating to factors that might influence an individual’s response to a placebo, such as personality, situation and genetics, are briefly addressed. Ethical considerations for practice and future research are discussed. Embargo until 31/07/2016.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 284-287 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Current Sports Medicine Reports |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2015 |
Keywords
- Behavior change
- Beliefs
- Nocebo effect
- Psychology