LETTER TO THE EDITOR Development and Effectiveness of a Placebo Beverage Similar in Sensory Properties to an Alcoholic Beverage

Studies employing a balanced placebo design to examine the effects of alcohol consumption, often report that the non-alcoholic placebo beverage used was credible as an alcoholic drink. In the majority of cases, subjective ratings of beverage sensory properties are used as validation for successful manipulation of the beverage. However, few studies report on participants ’ certainty of perception when reporting the success of the placebo manipulation. This letter presents findings from a study examining the effectiveness of a non-alcoholic beverage developed to have similar sensory properties to an alcoholic beverage. It aims to discuss the findings with reference to participants ’ certainty of perception. These findings may assist researchers using placebo beverages in future studies, providing some level of confidence in the beverage manipulation used. It is well established that alcohol consumption influences human behaviour and can cause impairment in cognitive function (Fillmore, 2007). However, evidence suggests that the behavioural and cognitive responses to alcohol may be mediated by the expectancy of alcohol consumption (Burian et al., 2003; Finnigan et al., 1995; Hammersley et al., 1998; Williams et al., 1981). The expectancy of receiving alcohol is dependent on factors that influenc