Question

A survey of physicians in 1979 found that some doctors give a placebo to patients who complain of pain for which the physician could find no cause. If the patient's pain improves, these doctors conclude that it had no physical basis. The medical researchers who conducted the survey claimed that these doctors do not understand the placebo effect. Why?

Answer 1

I suppose, it would be related to the fact that they assumed nothing was wrong, but the placebo effect applies both to imagined and real problems.

Answer 2

or, statistically its the issue of correlation vs causation.