active placebo
- noun
- /ˈæktɪv plɪˈsiboʊ/
- Specialized
:
placebo activo
- Administering an active placebo helps to maintain the blinding of clinical trial participants.
And, and then I think you, you need a even more credible, you know, active controls or active placebo conditions to can kind of tease this out.
- And, and then I think you, you need a even more credible, you know, active controls or active placebo conditions to can kind of tease this out.
Examples
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The researchers used an active placebo to ensure that participants experienced similar side effects as those taking the actual drug.
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Some studies compare a new medication not just to an inactive placebo but to an active placebo for more accurate results.
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The study used an active placebo to enhance results.
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Researchers often prefer active placebos in trials.
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In a clinical trial, some patients received an active placebo that caused nausea, mimicking the side effects of the actual medication being tested.
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The researchers used an active placebo to ensure participants felt effects similar to those of the treatment, making it harder to distinguish between the two.
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By administering an active placebo, the scientists aimed to enhance the participants' belief in the treatment, as they experienced noticeable side effects.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'active' modifies 'placebo' to signal a placebo that produces effects, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it is a placebo that is not inert and produces noticeable effects. Although the term is technical in clinical contexts, its meaning follows a straightforward modifier+noun pattern common across languages, making it accessible to learners who know the component words.
Etymology
Active placebo comes from adding active to placebo to show the fake treatment does something noticeable. The idea is a pretend pill that still causes mild side effects so people think they may have the 'real drug', which helps keep the study 'blind'.
