Discussion Question
Have you ever conducted an informal experiment by giving a treatment to a person or a group then observing the effects? If so, briefly describe it. Would you have obtained better information by including a control group? Explain.
Informal Experiment
I have performed an informal experiment on my daughter before. A couple of months ago my son was diagnosed with ADHD. His parents did not want to put him on the stronger medications if they could help it and decided to try giving him a 5MG CBD gummy every day. We knew that his sister would feel left out if he was getting something and she was not so we started giving her a multivitamin. After a while, she started to realize that what he was getting was different and started requesting one of the CBD gummies when feeling anxious. She would get anxious to the point that she was shaking and crying but when she was given the CBD gummy she would immediately calm down, almost within seconds. I started to think that maybe she had an idea that her brother was getting them to help calm down and thought they could do the same for her, possibly creating a placebo affect. The next time she started to feel anxious and requested a CBD gummy, I gave her a normal gummy bear without her knowing.
Results
Within seconds of being given the normal gummy bear, my daughter’s anxiety started to subside, just like it does when she requests and is given a CBD gummy. From this, it was possible to conclude that the idea of the gummy was easing her anxiety, not the actual gummy itself. I am still giving her the normal gummy bears in place of a CBD gummy because she does not show that she is needing anything different. If that changes, we will definitely re-evaluate the statement.
Control Group
I do not think that this experiment would have been better with a control group. It was pretty easy to determine that the gummy had a placebo effect on my step daughter while others taking it may have truly benefited from it in some capacity.
Thoughts
I have wondered if I would consider this informal experiment I have done as unethical. It has always felt like a lie but it is a way to keep her feeling okay without introducing anything extra. I would love to hear other’s thoughts. The people that do know about it do not see much harm in it, but it is easy to feel that way when you are not the one being lied to.
Heather, I like that you were honest about this and wanted feedback. I have split feelings about this. For one side, I understand your daughter for wanting something that her brother has and feeding off his emotions, which is normal for siblings. On the other I think maybe before she “thinks” she needs something for her anxiety for the rest of her life, you tell her the difference between the gummies now. Of course, this is just my opinion and I do not judge you at all, but she might get used to the fact that she is getting something for her anxiety (that she may only have because of her brother) and maybe there is a different way you can try and calm her down? I’m not sure if this will work or not, but just my feedback. I liked your experiment!
Hi Kelsie! I think you are right that she needs to be told. Lately she has stopped asking for them, maybe she figured out my experiment on her own, but if she starts up again I think I will tell her the truth and then look into other ways to help. Thank you!
This is an interesting example of the placebo effect. An actual formal study could have probably determined the same thing, but would have taken much longer and given the same answer.
Heather, your experiment reminds me of the part of the book that talked about whether it is ethical to provide participants in the experiment or not. Due to the nature of your experiment, you would not want to detail too much about what you are testing to the participant because it may taint the result of the study if the participant is aware.