The Barnum effect in medicine

Abstract: The Barnum effect refers to the fact that people accept bogus feedback as true for them, if it is sufficiently vague and based on scientific assessment. 60 students were given samples of head hair and the following week were given a 'trichosis diagnosis' which consisted of 24 bland statements regarding their health. Many of these were rated as highly accurate which indeed was probably true. Discussions with the students afterwards showed that most had been 'duped by the procedure which may well account for belief in various complementary medicine techniques. It was suggested that the Barnum effect could, in part, account for patients personal testimonies for bogus practices.

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