Efficacy vs. Effectiveness

While studying psychology in West Lafayette, Indiana, Sarah wondered whether it’s correct to speak of a treatment’s efficacy or its effectiveness. Usually, in research and professional settings, efficacy describes how well a treatment works under controlled conditions, such as clinical trials, while effectiveness addresses how well it performs outside of that context, where circumstances can vary. In everyday conversation, though, this distinction is less important. This is part of a complete episode.

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