At 8:28 PM -0600 12/9/06, Shearon, Tim wrote:
Paul Annette and others:
I'm not disagreeing with Paul's skepticism either but effects only
12 - 15 % over placebo
The problem is that it is not clear that even the 12-15% is a real
difference in the sense that itis due to a specific drug effect.
Placebos are not perfect.
In particular the side effects of drugs are often discriminable from
placebos (a true placebo would have the same side effects as the drug
to which it was being compared) so it is possible that subjects in
studies may be aware of whether they are in the drug or placebo
condition, possibly accounting for the (small) difference between
placebo and drug groups.
See
<http://scholar.google.com/url?sa=U&q=http://www.journals.apa.org/pt/prevention/volume1/pre0010002a.html>
are quite meaningful to those 12 - 15 %. :) One would like to think,
however, that the billions of dollars spent is somehow related to
huge effects which Paul rightly points out are largely absent. BTW-
drug company claims to effects are closer to 85 - 92% with placebos
at 30 - 50%. Just don't look too closely at how they arrive at these
numbers as they do not reflect appropriate skepticism, as Paul
points out.
--
The best argument against intelligent design is that people believe in it.
* PAUL K. BRANDON [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* Psychology Department 507-389-6217 *
* 23 Armstrong Hall Minnesota State University, Mankato *
* http://krypton.mnsu.edu/%7Epkbrando/ *
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