A report in the April 26, 2001 New England Journal of Medicine studied a new treatment for children with a severe anxiety disorder. The study was a randomized double-blind
comparative experiment. Data from the study showed that 76% of the children treated with
the new drug had a reduced anxiety level. Of the children who were given a placebo, 29%
had a reduced anxiety level. Almost none of the patients in the study exhibited an increase in
anxiety levels. Explain what is meant by "double-blind" in the above description. Then
discuss why it was important to make this experiment double-blind.