Hi, I need help

Question

I am having PSY 101 class, and it's been really difficult for me, I am struggling, Any Advices on what are the best ways for studying for PSY 101? 

I also have this question with it's answer in PSY 101, I don't understand it espically the answer for it.

Zachary has been very depressed for several weeks, He just started therapy and went to his therapist for the first time yesterday. Today he says that while he is still a "little down" he feels much less depressed than he was. Which of the following pairs of factors are most likely to have contributed to his improved mood?
 Answer:
D. placebo effect and regression toward the mean

Answer 1

Hi Rania,

Thank you for this question and I recognise this question was asked a few years. ago and might no longer be relevant but I wanted to answer this for anyone else who might have the same question in mind.

I have been a teaching assistant for a Psychology 101 class. To provide a more tailored strategy for your unique struggles I would have to learn more about you and your comprehension, retention and learning patterns. In general, I have noticed that the following is useful for students:

1. Flashcards, many pre-made free flashcards are available online
2. Compatible study groups where everyone can pool in resources and fill-in each other's blind spots
3. Given the nature of the subject, psychology, coming up with real-life examples to relate to can be a game-changer and also not very difficult to find. After all, psychology is the 'study of the soul'.

As far as the explanation for the answer to the therapy question, placebo effect likely contributed to Zachary's lower levels of depression because he actually believed that therapy would help him feel less depressed. On the contrary, if he doubted and half-heartedly went to therapy without actually trusting that it would improve his depression, there might have not been a dip in his perceived levels of depression.

Regression to the mean: On average, most people who go to therapy, report feeling lower levels of depression compared to before going to therapy. And if we were visualising a bell-curve, the majority tends to lie around the mean rather than the extremes of the tail-end of the bell-curve. So keeping this trend in mind, Zachary's report follows this trend and tends to the mean (lower levels of depression). Hope this helps anyone who is wondering something similar. Please feel free to ask me further questions and explanations. Happy learning!