Individual Differences-Rosenhans being sane in insane places Flashcards
What was the method that was used for this?
The study was composed of two experiments-
The first experiment was done by distributing 8 different pseudo patients (participants who faked the illness of schizophrenia) to 12 different psychiatric hospitals in the USA. This was considered to be a field experiment since there were no variables in this experiment the researchers could really control. After they had been admitted, the pseudo patients would then stop showing the symptoms that they had exhibited earlier. They then recorded the treatments that they were given and other things they saw and experienced in the ward, for example other patients or how nurses and doctors acted around them.
What was the aim of the Rosenhan study?
To test the reliability of psychiatric Diagnosis-For example the one here being schizophrenia
What were the results for the first part of the study???
For the first part of the study, all the of the pseudo patients were admitted into the psychiatric hospitals, and In every single case they were diagnosed with schizophrenia. They ended up staying in the psychiatric hospitals for 7 up till 52 days (little bit too long). Their sanity wasn’t detected by the staff but were detected by other patients. Participants Noted Down feeling powerless and depersonalisation and were treated unfairly by staff.
What were the results of the second part of the study??
This part of the study managed to find that many patients that were admitted those three months with ACTUAL illnesses were judged to be pseudo patients by at least one psychiatrist and a staff member
So what conclusions were found from Rosenhans study??
The system for distinguishing sane and insane seems to be unreliable, because even well trained psychiatrists seem unable to distinguish sane and insane patients
Who were the participants for the Rosenhan Study?
There were eight pseudo patients, participants who for the purposes of the study, faked illnesses such as schizophrenia by “hearing voices” (wink wink nudge nudge). They were all aged over twent and three were male and five were male, Rosenhan himself included In the participants.
What was the dependant variable in the Rosenhan Study??
The dependant variable was whether the pseudo patients could actually be admitted, and the diagnosis that they received for their supposed “illness” “l
What was done in the second part of the study?
The second part of the study was a field experiment where the staff of the psychiatric hospitals were actually made aware of the pseudo patients by Rosenhan, as well as the results of the previous study. Over the next three months they were deceived and falsely briefed to believe that a pseudo patient would be admitted. They were asked to give a score out of ten for each patient admitted as to indicate how likely it was they were a pseudo patient and just acting an illness.
