"Harnessing the placebo effect: Exploring the influence of physician characteristics on placebo response": Correction

Reports an error in "Harnessing the placebo effect: Exploring the influence of physician characteristics on placebo response" by Lauren C. Howe, J. Parker Goyer and Alia J. Crum (Health Psychology, 2017[Nov], Vol 36[11], 1074-1082). In the original article, changes were needed to clarify the timeframe over which allergic reactions were measured after the skin prick test (SPT) and the administration of the placebo cream, which was erroneously misrepresented in some cases being "0 to 6 minutes after cream application" when it should have stated "3 to 9 minutes after cream application." Corrections have been made to reflect this in the "Analytic Strategy for Physiological Results" section and in Figures 2 and 3 and the Figure Notes that accompany them. An additional supplemental figure (Figure S7) has also been added to the supplemental material available online to further clarify the timing of measurements, both in terms of time post-SPT and time post-cream application. The online version of this article has been corrected. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2017-10534-001).

Research on placebo/nocebo effects suggests that expectations can influence treatment outcomes, but placebo/nocebo effects are not always evident. This research demonstrates that a provider's social behavior moderates the effect of expectations on physiological outcomes.

After inducing an allergic reaction in participants through a histamine skin prick test, a health care provider administered a cream with no active ingredients and set either positive expectations (cream will reduce reaction) or negative expectations (cream will increase reaction). The provider demonstrated either high or low warmth, or either high or low competence.

The impact of expectations on allergic response was enhanced when the provider acted both warmer and more competent and negated when the provider acted colder and less competent.

This study suggests that placebo effects should be construed not as a nuisance variable with mysterious impact but instead as a psychological phenomenon that can be understood and harnessed to improve treatment outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).