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Blinding

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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.

Blind Procedures

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Ideally, the people who observe and record the children’s behavior are unaware of who was assigned to the experimental or control group, in order to control for experimenter bias. Experimenter bias refers to the possibility that a researcher’s expectations might skew the results of the study. Remember, conducting an experiment requires a lot of planning, and the people involved in the research project have a vested interest in supporting their hypotheses. If the observers knew which...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 26, 2025

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

Published on: December 14, 2014

Considerations and methods for placebo controls in surgical trials (ASPIRE guidelines).

David J Beard¹, Marion K Campbell², Jane M Blazeby³

¹Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Botnar Research Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Lancet (London, England)

|March 9, 2020

Summary

Surgical trials can use placebo controls when ethically justified and scientifically sound, especially for interventions with limited evidence. This approach helps mitigate bias and guides best practices for designing and interpreting these complex randomized controlled trials.

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Last Updated: Dec 26, 2025

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Area of Science:

Medical research methodology
Surgical innovation evaluation

Background:

Placebo controls are increasingly considered for surgical intervention efficacy trials.
Surgical placebo controls present unique complexities and challenges.
Understanding their application is crucial for robust clinical trial design.

Purpose of the Study:

To summarize knowledge on placebo controls in surgical randomized trials.
To outline the ethical and regulatory considerations for surgical placebos.
To provide guidance on designing, implementing, and interpreting such trials.

Main Methods:

Literature review and synthesis of current understanding on placebo controls in surgery.
Discussion of ethical arguments and regulatory requirements.
Development of a best-practice outline and checklist (ASPIRE).

Main Results:

Placebo controls in surgery are justified with strong scientific and ethical rationale.
They are particularly valuable when intervention efficacy is poorly evidenced or bias risk is high.
Feasibility work is recommended for optimal trial design and implementation.

Conclusions:

Surgical placebo controls require careful consideration of scientific and ethical factors.
The ASPIRE checklist offers guidance for conducting surgical placebo-controlled randomized trials.
Best practices are essential for the valid assessment of surgical interventions.