Key study: Rosenhan

Question 1

What was the aim?

Answer 1

• To test the diagnostic system at the time (DSMII) to see if it was reliable and valid.
• To research the experience of being in a psychiatric hospital.

Question 2

What was the sample in Study 1?

Answer 2

Staff and patients at 12 psychiatric hospitals in the USA.

Question 3

What was the research method used in Study 1?

Answer 3

• Field experiment
• Covert participant observation and self report

Question 4

What was the method of Study 1?

Answer 4

• 8 pseudopatients reported hearing voices saying ‘empty’, ‘hollow’, ‘thud’.
• They gave false names and occupations to the hospitals.
• Once admitted they all behaved normally and said the voices stopped.
• If asked how they were feeling they would reply ‘fine, no longer experiencing symptoms’.
• They hid and flushed all medication.
• All made notes

Question 5

How many were admitted in study 1?

Answer 5

Pseudopatients were all admitted, 11 with schizophrenia and 1 with manic depression.

Question 6

How long did they spend in hospital in study 1?

Answer 6

7-52 days

Question 7

Did anyone detect they were false patients?

Answer 7

No staff, but 35 genuine patients did

Question 8

How long did nurses spend outside their office in study 1?

Answer 8

11% of their time in the middle of the ward

Question 9

How many minutes did doctors spend with pseudopatients in study 1?

Answer 9

7 minutes

Question 10

How many tablets were administered in study 1?

Answer 10

2,100

Question 11

What does Rosenhan mean by ‘sticky’?

Answer 11

• Psychiatric labels tend to be sticky in a way medical labels are not.
• Everything a patient does is interpreted in accordance with their label of mental illness.
• Staff interpreted normal behaviours like writing notes, pacing the ward as signs of their illness.
• Rosenhan suggests that it is difficult to remove the label of mental illness.

Question 12

What were the pseudopatients discharged with?

Answer 12

A diagnosis of schizophrenia in remission

Question 13

Why did the pseudopatients feel powerlessness and depersonalised in study 1?

Answer 13

• Toilets had no doors
• Nurse unbuttoned her uniform to adjust her bra in the presence of an entire ward for viewing men
• Ignored and eye contact was avoided
• Staff abused patients but would stop when other staff entered the room

Question 14

What was the method used in study 2?

Answer 14

• A large hospital doubted his findings from study 1.
• He told staff that some pseudopatients would attempt to be admitted to the hospital in the next three months.
• He asked staff to judge if any of the patients admitted during this time were pseudopatients on a scale from 1-10.
• No pseudopatients were sent