industrial democracy

a system of managing an organization in which employees participate in important decisions. An example would be the use of autonomous work groups in which employees determine their work procedures and assignments and are responsible for evaluating and rewarding performance. See also participative decision making; quality circle; Scanlon plan.

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Psychology term of the day

February 2nd 2025

placebo effect

a clinically significant response to a therapeutically inert substance or nonspecific treatment (placebo), deriving from the recipient’s expectations or beliefs regarding the intervention. It is now recognized that placebo effects accompany the administration of any drug (active or inert) and contribute to the therapeutic effectiveness of a specific treatment. For example, patients given a placebo to relieve headaches may report statistically significant reductions in headaches in studies that compare them with patients who receive no treatment at all. This term is also used more generally in nonclinical studies to indicate any effect arising from participants’ expectations regarding the study.