Pain relief study Fizz Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company, has developed a new drug for relieving chronic pain. Sixty patients suffering from arthritis and needing pain relief are available. Each patient will be treated and asked an hour later, “About what percent of pain relief did you experience?”

(a) Why should Fizz not simply give the new drug to 30 patients and no treatment to the other 30 patients, and then record the patients’ responses?

(b) Should the patients be told whether they are getting the new drug or a placebo? How would this knowledge probably affect their reactions?