researchers is the inclusion of a control group. For example, research studies that examine 
the effects of a medication on a particular problem usually give a percentage of the individ -
uals in the study a placebo , which is, essentially, a pill that contains no real medication. This 
group is called the placebo control group . Typically, neither the doctor nor the patient knows 
whether the person is taking a placebo or the real medication until after the study ends.
The test of whether a medication is helpful depends on how well people who took 
the medication respond compared with those who took the placebo. Including a placebo 
control group allows the researcher to directly measure the effects of the medication over 
and above the effects of the individual’s expectations about the treatment. Properly con -
ducted studies examining the effects of psychological treatments also include appropriate 
control groups to aid in understanding why a particular treatment may appear to work.
In this book, we have chosen to focus on techniques that have been shown in con -
trolled research to be effective for helping people to overcome problems with social 
anxiety, shyness, and performance-related fears. In other words, these techniques have 
been shown to be effective compared with no treatment, placebo treatments, other forms 
of psychotherapy, or other appropriate control groups. The techniques we will focus on 
include two main groups of strategies: cognitive behavioral therapy and medications.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, includes a group of techniques that are usually 
used together as a package. Numerous studies have shown that CBT is an effective