The effects of belief on acupuncture analgesia.

24 undergraduates who had indicated either a high or low level of belief in acupuncture-induced analgesia received either acupuncture or a pseudo-acupuncture treatment prior to a 60-sec cold-pressor test. Ss also completed the State scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory at the beginning of the experiment and provided ratings of pain intensity during the cold-pressor test. Ss who held positive beliefs about the effectiveness of acupuncture and who received actual acupuncture treatment reported lower pain than did Ss with negative beliefs and those who received pseudo-acupuncture. Anxiety ratings did not differ between groups. The ratings of belief in acupuncture shown by the 2 groups tended to converge after treatment. Results suggest that differences in the analgesic effects of acupuncture are influenced by expectancy effects and the degree to which expectations are confirmed during the treatment procedure. (French abstract) (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)