The Sugar Dose That Was Never Given
Parents who thought their sons had eaten sugar saw wilder behaviour, though no sugar was served. The finding raises a question about how much of what adults observe is brought in from their own expectations.
In one study reported in 1994, mothers who believed their sons were sensitive to sugar were told that the boys had been given a large dose of it. In fact every boy received a sugar free placebo. These mothers rated their sons as more hyperactive than did mothers truthfully told that their sons had received a placebo. The researchers concluded that belief in a sugar effect, rather than sugar itself, shapes what parents see.
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