Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Classical Conditioning in Daily Life

Classical Conditioning in Daily Life

Classical conditioning, a fundamental principle of associative learning, explains various phenomena observed in daily life, such as fear development, the placebo effect, taste aversion, and drug habituation. These applications demonstrate the profound impact of associative learning on human behavior and physiological responses.
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...

Blinding

Blinding

Blinding is a commonly used method of not telling participants which treatment a subject is receiving. Blinding is a critical part of a randomized control trial or RCT. It reduces the bias that affects the results. In an RCT, blinding is used in the form of a placebo. A placebo effect occurs when untreated subjects falsely believe they have received the treatment and report improved symptoms. A placebo or a dummy treatment is administered to subjects to negate the bias caused by such an effect.

The Placebo Effect

The Placebo Effect

The placebo effect occurs when people's expectations or beliefs influence or determine their experience in a given situation. In other words, simply expecting something to happen can actually make it happen.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The concept of placebo/nocebo response and effect.

EULAR rheumatology open·2026

Same author

Caregiver contribution to patient self‑care and quality of life among informal carers of adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a cross‑sectional study.

Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2026

Same author

Theories and determinants of self-care and self-efficacy in inflammatory bowel diseases: A systematic review.

Patient education and counseling·2026

Same author

Predictors of self-care among informal caregivers of patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a cross-sectional study.

Annals of gastroenterology·2026

Same author

Caregiver Contribution to Self-Care in Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study.

Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy)·2026

Same author

Combinatorial delivery of low-dose radiotherapy and immunotherapy to patients with immune-excluded tumors enhances CD8+ T cell functionality.

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Published on: December 18, 2014

Preventing motor training through nocebo suggestions.

Antonella Pollo¹, Elisa Carlino, Lene Vase

¹Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy. antonella.pollo@unito.it

European Journal of Applied Physiology

|March 14, 2012

Summary

Negative suggestions, or nocebos, can significantly reduce physical performance and endurance. This nocebo effect can even counteract the benefits gained from training programs.

More Related Videos

A Method for Remotely Silencing Neural Activity in Rodents During Discrete Phases of Learning

A Method for Remotely Silencing Neural Activity in Rodents During Discrete Phases of Learning

Published on: June 22, 2015

Using Virtual Reality to Transfer Motor Skill Knowledge from One Hand to Another

Using Virtual Reality to Transfer Motor Skill Knowledge from One Hand to Another

Published on: September 18, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Disrupting Reconsolidation of Fear Memory in Humans by a Noradrenergic β-Blocker

Published on: December 18, 2014

A Method for Remotely Silencing Neural Activity in Rodents During Discrete Phases of Learning

A Method for Remotely Silencing Neural Activity in Rodents During Discrete Phases of Learning

Published on: June 22, 2015

Using Virtual Reality to Transfer Motor Skill Knowledge from One Hand to Another

Using Virtual Reality to Transfer Motor Skill Knowledge from One Hand to Another

Published on: September 18, 2017

Area of Science:

Exercise Physiology
Psychoneuroimmunology
Sports Science

Background:

Placebos are known to enhance physical performance.
The negative effects of nocebos on physical performance are less understood.
Nocebos involve negative suggestions and can impact physiological outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of nocebo conditioning on physical performance.
To differentiate the effects of expectation versus conditioning plus expectation.
To quantify the nocebo effect on work performed and perceived exertion.

Main Methods:

Healthy subjects performed leg extension exercises to exhaustion.
A nocebo conditioning procedure involved negative suggestions and sham electrical stimulation.
Two protocols assessed expectation alone or combined with conditioning.

Main Results:

Nocebo conditioning negatively modulated physical performance in both protocols.
Expectation alone and conditioning plus expectation both reduced performance.
The nocebo effect was evaluated by changes in work performed and perceived exertion.

Conclusions:

Nocebos can significantly impair physical performance and endurance.
The nocebo effect can potentially negate the gains from physical training.
Understanding nocebos is crucial for exercise and performance contexts.