Putting the 'Art' Into the 'Art of Medicine' : The Under-Explored Role of Artifacts in Placebo Studies

Copyright © 2020 Bernstein, Locher, Kube, Buergler, Stewart-Ferrer and Blease..

Research in social psychology demonstrates that physical environmental factors - or "artifacts" such as provider clothing and office décor - can influence health outcomes. However, the role of artifacts in augmenting or diminishing health outcomes is under-explored in the burgeoning discipline of placebo studies. In this paper, we argue that a careful consideration of artifacts may carry significant potential in informing how placebo effects can be maximized, and nocebo effects minimized in clinical settings. We discuss the potential mechanisms, including classical conditioning, response expectancy, and mindsets, by which artifacts might enhance or diminish these effects. Next, we propose testable hypotheses to investigate how placebo and nocebo effects might be elicited by artifacts in care settings, and conclude by providing innovative research designs to advance this novel research agendum.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2020

Erschienen:

2020

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:11

Enthalten in:

Frontiers in psychology - 11(2020) vom: 03., Seite 1354

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Bernstein, Michael H [VerfasserIn]
Locher, Cosima [VerfasserIn]
Kube, Tobias [VerfasserIn]
Buergler, Sarah [VerfasserIn]
Stewart-Ferrer, Sif [VerfasserIn]
Blease, Charlotte [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Classical conditioning
Expectancy
Journal Article
Mindset
Placebo
Placebo effects
Psychology
Review

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 26.01.2021

published: Electronic-eCollection

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01354

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM313492581