classic study

Question 1

clinical classic study

Answer 1

Rosenhan 1973 - being sane in insane places

Question 2

aim

Answer 2

to test reliability of mental health diagnoses and to see if medical professionals could tell the sane from the insane in a clinical setting

Question 3

sample

Answer 3

8 pseudo patients

• 3 women
• 5 men
• 3 psychologists, a painter, housewife etc.
• hospital administrator and chief knew about Rosenhan

Question 4

setting

Answer 4

12 hospitals in 5 different states

Question 5

procedure 1

Answer 5

P-ps had interview and reported symptoms ‘empty’, ‘hollow’ and ‘thud’ and details on life
(gave different name and personal history)

After admission: behaved normally and did not swallow meds
Task 1: seek release by being ‘sane’
Task 2: observe covertly mentally disordered patients

Question 6

results 1

Answer 6

P-ps never detected

• 7/8 admitted schizophrenia in remission
• Hospital stay = 7-52 days
• Average stay = 19 days

Question 7

observation results

Answer 7

1. lack of monitoring
   - very little contact between doctors and segregation between staff and patients
2. distortions of behaviour
   - all normal behaviour became interpreted and labelled schizophrenic

overall psychiatric hospitals not able to distinguish insane and sane

Question 8

procedure and results for #2

Answer 8

(staff at hospital doubted the findings)
P: Rosenhan told them over the next 3 months 1 or more P-ps would attempt admission.
Hospital staff were asked to rate likelihood of p-ps 1-10

R: judgements on 193 patients
41/193 with high confidence by at least 1 member of staff

no genuine p-ps was sent

Question 9

evaluation for Rosenhan’s study

Answer 9

generalisable: as he included a range of hospitals such as well/ underfunded, new/old, private/ state run. However, 12 is a small sample size. Also 1970s healthcare has changed

Lacked Validity: as results don’t show us how people with real mental illnesses are diagnosed

Deception: towards hospital staff, patients, doctors and nurses did not consent and no R2W

Good reliability: as he followed standardised procedure ‘empty’, ‘hollow’, ‘thud’

Application: to society as psychiatric hospitals reviewed admission procedures and how they trained staff to interact with patient