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This past Sunday (2/19), 60 minutes ran a story on antidepressants, specifically SSRIs (watch video,http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7399362n). The central point of the story was that for people with mild to moderate depression, the effect of antidepressants was not greater than the placebos they were compared to in research trials. Key points of discussion:
1. The drugs were effective, meaning depression decreased in patients taking them. The mechanism of effectiveness, however, was the expectation of improvement, not the active ingredient.
2. Should they continue to be prescribed? They cost money and lead to side effects. The answer may seem obvious, but it isn’t. Part of the placebo effect is believing you got something (paying for it, and getting side effects)
3. What effect would exposés like this 60 minutes segement have on the placebo effect? Placebo works because people believe it is real. If people do not believe in these drugs, then they will be less effective (and so will their placebo comparisons).
In Saturday’s New York Times Opinion page, an article by Dr. Andy Clark, do-thrifty-brains-make-better-minds (read the entire article using this link), describes the thrifty nature of the human brain. Essentially, our brain matches current stimuli (things we see, hear, smell, or emotions, drug states, etc.) with previous experience and predict what will happen next. We behave according to those expectations.
Some important principles:
1. We only process small pieces of environmental stimuli and fill in the blanks with what we already know. Remarkably, we experience sights and sounds as complete pictures (even though we are actually only processing pieces).
2. We are more likely to process unexpected information. If there is an error in “filling in the blanks” we attend to it.
3. Almost the entire process occurs without awareness.
4. Your brain is always engaged in this process.
An example is, after driving a manual transmission for years, you step into an automatic (by the way, many of you have already filled in the blank of the rest of this sentence). Your brain recognizes car, and all of its componenents, so it predicts a pedal to the left of the brake (the clutch). You unconsciously try to step on it and find only air. When your brain registers the mistake (which it does before you are even aware of it), you become conscious of what you should do instead.
I cannot overstate how complex and remarkable this system is.
It is my intent to use this blog as a tool for exposing students to the latest research in psychological science. Periodically, I will create posts on hot topics. I invite students to comment on these topics.
The expectations children have about the effects of alcohol are shaped without actual drinking experience. Positive expectations explain why kids will drink even though almost no one enjoys the initial taste of alcohol.
How then are these expectations formed? They are likely formed through vicarious processes of watching others like family and friends. Also, media outlets like television, movies, and radio often portray postive images of drinking. A good example of these images are recent pop songs.
The singer Rihanna has a song called “Cheers (Drink to That),” with lyrics such as:
“DON’T LET THE BASTARDS GET YOU DOWN
TURN IT AROUND WITH ANOTHER ROUND
THERE’S A PARTY AT THE BAR
EVERYBODY PUT YOUR GLASSES UP
AND ILL DRINK TO THAT”
The Black Eyed Peas released a song in 2008 called “I Got a Feeling,” with the following lyrics:
Fill up my cup
Mazal tov
Look at her dancing
just take it off
Pink also had a recent song of the same genre called, “Raise Your Glass” with similar lyrics.
These are clear examples of information children can use to establish alcohol expectancies. These songs are played on pop music stations that children listen to. Whether they actually listen to the lyrics and develop expectations is something that could be tested experimentally. What are other songs that have alcohol expectancy lyrics (positive or negative)?
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