Multiple choice exams benefit students as 'placebo effect'of picking correct answer means they are more relaxed Each of subjects in study was given a 20-question general-knowledge test Half were told they were being subliminally messaged the correct answer Research found this placebo group were more relaxed and likely to succeed Students are more relaxed when taking multiple choice exams because of the 'placebo effect' of picking the correct answer Students are more relaxed when taking multiple choice exams because of the 'placebo effect' of picking the correct answer, research has shown. A study of 40 undergraduates revealed that when the mind is relaxed and confident, anxieties which were previously focusing on other cognitive function, became 'available for other tasks and processes.' German psychologist Ulrich Weger and Australian psychologist Stephen Loughnan found that as a result students were actually more likely to pick the correct answer. Each of the subjects was given a 20-question general-knowledge test, with questions ranging from the numerical value of pi to the artist who created Guernica. The participants were given four possible answers and instructed to pick the correct one, psmag.com reports. But before they took the test, half the students - the placebo group - were told that just before each question was asked, the correct answer was momentarily flashed onto the screen. They were told that this happened too quickly for them to process the information, but were assured that it would register in their brains. A single 'demonstration' then showed them the process in slow motion, to convince them this was really happening. But the so called 'subliminally presented answers' of this experimental phase were simply random letter strings. The results were published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. Study authors German psychologist Ulrich Weger and Australian psychologist Stephen Loughnan wrote: 'People have powerful psychological resources to deal with challenges, but those resources cannot always be used deliberately. A study of 40 undergraduates revealed that when the mind is relaxed and confident, anxieties which were previously focusing on other cognitive function, became 'available for other tasks and processes' Participants in the placebo condition who believed they had been exposed to the correct answers subliminally scored higher than participants in the control condition. The researchers concluded that the false assurance, by 'demonstrating the subliminally presented answers' produced 'a weakening of inhibitory mechanisms that normally impair performance on a task.' They found that believing they were subliminally processing the correct answer allowed them to relax, and focus, therefore answering the questions more correctly. Just as a dummy pill can help people access their ability to tolerate pain, they report, a false conviction can help test-takers relax and improve their performance.