I wonder if the placebo effect can extend to learning, where you imagine taking a placebo that helps relieve your stress about having to learn something new after a long time.
If anyone is familiar with research and reading at the intersection of placebos/psychology/learning, it would be great to read!
Well, not quite what you are asking but, it has been shown that asking some demographic questions prior to testing can alter some outcomes (specifically Black students' math scores) [0] although other papers find no difference when looking at other factors such as asking about gender prior to physics tests [1], this is known collectively as "Stereotype Threat."
So given that "Stereotype Threat" is a thing, I would absolutely believe that you can apply the placebo effect to learning as well.
I would kind of start to think about formative vs summarize questions but unrelated questions you get right could
Until I can find the link to the study, anecdotally I have found that sharing a message about adult learning prior to learning can also have have a positive effect - which sounds similar to the above.
If anyone is familiar with research and reading at the intersection of placebos/psychology/learning, it would be great to read!