Using an example, describe the placebo effect.

Discuss why banned pharmacological substances should not be used by Olympic athletes.

the placebo effect is when an ineffective intervention has an effect because the subject believes that it will work / a favourable outcome arising from the belief that one has received a beneficial treatment ✔

it is used in experimental procedures to help determine whether a treatment actually does have an effect / it helps to evaluate whether the observed effect is produced by the treatment or is a psychological effect ✔

a «control» group receives a substance/pill that in every way appears like the real substance being investigated ✔

eg, Control group receives a flavoured water instead of an electrolyte filled drink and the experimental group receives the electrolyte drink before exercise ✔

if the control group responds in a similar manner to the experimental group then this may be due to the placebo effect ✔

using techniques such as blinding/double blinding and having both groups do both conditions / cross-over is helpful in determining causation ✔

Award [2 max] without an example.

Marking points can be embedded within an example [3 max].

moral obligation to compete fairly / gives some athletes an unfair advantage ✔

if caught then disqualified/banned ✔

may coerce / pressure other athletes into taking them ✔

safety of athletes
OR
to protect the health of athletes ✔

Most candidates understood that the placebo effect was a about the belief that a substance will help performance but they did not always understand that it actually does positively affect performance. Few candidates made reference to experimental design (control groups), which is really the main use of placebos.

Answered well overall.