53:
provide the controller with a temperature reading of the zone (provided the thermocouples are not installed as inline duct sensors), but also serve as modifiers for the central controller's set point. While the thermostat may include settings from, for example, 16 to 32 °C (60 to 90 °F), the actual effect of the thermostat is to apply "pressure" to the central controller's set point. Thus, if the controller's setting is 22 °C (72 °F), setting the thermostat to its maximum warm or cool settings will deflect the output temperature, generally by only a few degrees
Fahrenheit (about two degrees Celsius) at most. So, although the thermostat can be set to its lowest marking of 16 °C (60 °F), in reality, it may change the HVAC system's output temperature only to 21 °C (70 °F). In this case, the thermostat has a "swing" of 2 °C (4 °F): it can alter the produced temperature from the main controller's set point by a maximum of 1 °C (2 °F) in either direction. Consequently, while not purely a placebo, the thermostat in this setup does not provide the level of control that is expected, but the combination of the lower setting number and the feeling of a slight change in temperature can induce the office occupants to believe that the temperature was significantly decreased.
62:
involving the thermostat in their own home, which actually works. The employee has paired the sound of hissing or a fan running to being more physically content due to the actual temperature change and therefore when they experience the noise at work they feel the same way even though there is no change in temperature. As long as individuals get the result they are looking for (noise associated with temperature change) they will continue with the practice (changing the placebo thermostat). Additionally, placebo thermostats work due to the placebo effect. The placebo effect works on the basis that individuals will experience what they believe they will experience. This is attributed to
66:, which states that the placebo effect is mediated by overt expectancies. The most common example is in medical testing: inactive sugar pills are given to patients who are told they are actually medicine. Some patients will experience relief from symptoms regardless. According to expectancy theory, if people believe they are going to experience a temperature change after changing a placebo thermostat they may psychologically experience one without an actual change happening. Both psychological concepts of classical conditioning and the placebo effect may play a role in the effectiveness of placebo thermostats.
152:
75:
779:
32:. They are commonly placed in situations where it would have once been useful to have such a button but the system now operates automatically, such as a manual thermostat in a temperature-regulated office. Were the control removed entirely, some users would feel frustrated at the awareness they were not in control.
112:
may or may not have any real effect on crossing timings, depending on their location and the time of day, and some junctions may be completely automated, with push-buttons which do not have any effect at all. In other areas the buttons have an effect only during the night. Some do not affect the
52:
central control computer is to allow the thermostats to provide a graded level of control. Temperatures in such a system are governed by the central controller's settings, which are typically set by the building maintenance staff or HVAC engineers. The individual thermostats in various offices
61:
and is a type of learning which pairs a stimulus with a physiological response. Applied to placebo thermostats, this is when the employee adjusts the thermostat and hears the noise of hissing or a fan running and consequently physically feels more content. This is due to the countless trials
44:
in many office buildings in the United States is non-functional, installed to give tenants' employees a similar illusion of control. In some cases, they act as input devices to a central control computer; in others, they serve no purpose other than to keep employees contented.
56:
Placebo thermostats work on two psychological principles, which are classical conditioning and the placebo effect. First, placebo thermostats work in accordance with classical conditioning. Classical conditioning was first discovered by
135:
include door control buttons. The doors are normally driver operated, but a switch in the driving cab can hand control to passengers once the driver activates the buttons, much like mainline railway stock. In addition,
27:
or other control that appears to have functionality but has no physical effect when pressed. Such buttons can appear to work, by lighting up or otherwise reacting, which rewards the user by giving them an
140:
used on the
District line were built with door open buttons which worked much like those of the 1992, 1995 and 1996 stock. These buttons were subsequently removed when the stock was refurbished.
220:
49:
109:
628:
228:
823:
457:
366:
813:
132:
128:
124:
623:
137:
322:
Stewart-Williams, Steve; John Podd (2004). "The
Placebo Effect: Dissolving the Expectancy Versus Conditioning Debate".
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818:
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703:
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actual lights timing but requires the button having been pressed to activate pedestrian green lights.
538:
165:
94:
29:
798:
508:
498:
347:
157:
121:
808:
768:
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339:
63:
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548:
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331:
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478:
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638:
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250:
98:
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743:
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583:
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738:
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90:
79:
58:
24:
393:
733:
708:
693:
573:
553:
528:
493:
170:
147:
41:
713:
417:
105:
343:
523:
83:
466:
394:"Does pressing the pedestrian crossing button actually do anything?"
73:
40:
It has been reported that the temperature set point adjustment on
439:
435:
317:
315:
278:""Dummy" Thermostats Cool Down Tempers, Not Temperatures"
221:"Placebo buttons, false affordances and habit-forming"
108:, pedestrian push-buttons on crossings using the
367:"For Exercise in New York Futility, Push Button"
251:"Employees Only Think They Control Thermostat"
451:
48:A common implementation in buildings with an
8:
413:"Why Are There Buttons On Tube Train Doors?"
188:
186:
458:
444:
436:
110:Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique
195:"Press me! The buttons that lie to you"
182:
629:Motion-triggered contact insufficiency
117:London Underground train door buttons
16:Control mechanism which has no effect
7:
392:Tom de Castella (4 September 2013).
101:, but now serve as placebo buttons.
297:McRaney, David (10 February 2010).
14:
777:
193:Chris Baraniuk (17 April 2015).
150:
276:Katrina C. Arabe (2003-04-11).
249:Sandberg, Jared (2003-01-15).
1:
411:Nicholas, Dean (2013-04-11).
624:Miniature snap-action switch
365:Luo, Michael (2004-02-27).
336:10.1037/0033-2909.130.2.324
219:Lockton, Dan (2008-10-01).
840:
138:London Underground D stock
104:In the United Kingdom and
824:User interface techniques
775:
474:
97:were once functional in
759:Vandal-resistant switch
604:Magnetic proximity fuze
256:The Wall Street Journal
704:Silicone rubber keypad
324:Psychological Bulletin
86:
764:Wireless light switch
77:
814:Pedestrian crossings
539:Electric switchboard
95:pedestrian crossings
166:Illusion of control
30:illusion of control
509:Contact protection
499:Centrifugal switch
225:Design with intent
158:Engineering portal
122:London Underground
87:
36:Office thermostats
786:
785:
769:Zero speed switch
299:"Placebo Buttons"
78:A walk button in
64:Expectancy theory
831:
804:Magical thinking
781:
609:Magnetic starter
599:Lightning switch
549:Half-moon switch
519:Crossover switch
489:Battery isolator
460:
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227:. Archived from
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819:User interfaces
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782:
773:
749:Transfer switch
729:Strowger switch
724:Stepping switch
719:Staircase timer
674:Railroad switch
634:Nintendo Switch
614:Magnetic switch
589:Latching switch
564:Inertial switch
559:Infinite switch
514:Crossbar switch
479:Analogue switch
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5:
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654:Placebo button
651:
646:
641:
639:Optical switch
636:
631:
626:
621:
619:Mercury switch
616:
611:
606:
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581:
576:
571:
566:
561:
556:
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546:
541:
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531:
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504:Company switch
501:
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481:
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472:
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455:
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372:New York Times
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330:(2): 324–340.
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118:
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71:
68:
37:
34:
21:placebo button
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
836:
825:
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820:
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812:
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802:
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797:
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754:Vacuum switch
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747:
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717:
715:
712:
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684:Rotary switch
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512:
510:
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484:Banyan switch
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231:on 2015-05-30
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99:New York City
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81:
76:
69:
67:
65:
60:
54:
51:
46:
43:
35:
33:
31:
26:
22:
744:Touch switch
699:Sense switch
653:
649:Piezo switch
594:Light switch
584:Limit switch
579:Knife switch
544:Float switch
422:. Retrieved
416:
406:
397:
387:
376:. Retrieved
370:
360:
327:
323:
302:. Retrieved
292:
281:. Retrieved
271:
260:. Retrieved
254:
244:
233:. Retrieved
229:the original
224:
214:
202:. Retrieved
198:
120:
103:
91:walk buttons
88:
70:Walk buttons
55:
47:
39:
20:
18:
739:Time switch
689:Sail switch
679:Reed switch
669:Push-button
664:Push switch
659:Pull switch
644:Photoswitch
569:Kill switch
534:Dry contact
80:Bensonhurst
59:Ivan Pavlov
42:thermostats
25:push-button
793:Categories
734:Thermostat
709:Softswitch
694:Sea switch
574:Key switch
554:Humidistat
529:DIP switch
494:Cam switch
378:2015-10-13
283:2010-02-13
262:2009-09-02
235:2009-07-28
177:References
171:Affordance
133:1996 stock
129:1995 stock
125:1992 stock
799:Deception
714:Spark gap
424:21 August
418:Londonist
106:Hong Kong
809:Switches
524:Cryotron
398:BBC News
352:10297875
344:14979775
304:23 March
144:See also
84:Brooklyn
467:Switch
350:
342:
204:3 June
469:types
348:S2CID
89:Many
23:is a
426:2017
340:PMID
306:2014
206:2015
131:and
50:HVAC
332:doi
328:130
199:BBC
93:at
795::
415:.
396:.
369:.
346:.
338:.
326:.
314:^
253:.
223:.
197:.
185:^
127:,
82:,
19:A
459:e
452:t
445:v
428:.
400:.
381:.
354:.
334::
308:.
286:.
265:.
238:.
208:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
