Rosenhan Flashcards
AIM (1)
To test the hypothesis that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between sane and insane.
AIM (2)
To investigate whether diagnosis of mental health illness is invalid and affected by observer bias.
What was the sample?
12 different hospitals across 5 states of USA. The hospitals has varying funding, staff to patient ratios, private/state control etc.
Who was the participants?
The hospital staff
What method was used to collect data?
Covert participant observation technique
What was the independent variable?
Symptoms displayed to psychiatrist
What was the dependant variable?
Admission and length of stay in hospital
What was the procedure for EXP.1?
8 pseudo patients from varying backgrounds and occupations (5 males, 3 females) all had to try and get admitted into hospital. Non of them has previous diagnosis of mental health, and each patient used fake names and professions and were all dispatched to different hospitals. Each participant phoned the hospital saying they heard the same sex noises ‘hollow, empty and thud’ which were typically used to describe how meaningless life is. Other than fake names they were truthful about everything else. Upon admission to the ward, the patients ceased stimulating and symptoms of abnormality. The patients then had to get themselves out of hospital. They recorded notes in secret, the nurses caught on but thought it was a symptom of their mental disorder so didn’t care.
What are the results for EXP.1?
- All patients were admitted (7 were diagnosed as schizophrenic and the other one was given the label of manic psychosis).
- They remained in hospital between 7-52 days.
- Their normal behaviour was often seen as aspects of the illness they had been diagnosed with.
- It was suggested that waiting outside a canteen 30 minutes before lunchtime was a characteristic of oral acquisitive syndrome.
- Rosenhan stated that there is often overlap between sane and insane behaviours and given the environment of where the behaviour is conducted has an impact of how the behaviour is interpreted by others.
RESULTS (exp.1) AIM 2 - Qualitative
Patients were treated as if they were invisible.
Reports showed a great deal of inhumane treatment, these included being physically beaten for initiating verbal contact.
Rosenhan himself witnessed being beaten himself for telling an attendant he liked him.
CONCLUSIONS (exp.1)
Based on symptoms all patients were admitted to hospital.
Rosenhan said this was due to 2 errors:
1. Type one error - when the professional diagnoses a sick person as healthy
2. Type two error - when the professional diagnoses the healthy person as sick
Once diagnosed it is hard to get rid of the label given and once labelled as your diagnostic, there is nothing you can do to overcome that label.
They base it on the idea that ‘ill health should be treated’. However this idea of mental health is problematic.
Aim of EXP.2?
To further test the reliability and validity of diagnosis and to test the type one and type two error.
SAMPLE (exp.2)
Staff in a research and treating hospital with the ground of Stanford university.
METHOD (exp.2)
Field experiment
Independent variable - Expectation of staff
Dependant variable - Diagnosis of patients
PROCEDURE (exp.2)
- The staff at the hospital was given the results of the first study.
- They discussed the ideas of the different types of error and said that that would not happen at their hospital.
- The staff were then informed that at some point during the following 3 months, one or more pseudo patients would attempt to be admitted.
- Each member of staff was asked to rate each new patient on the likelihood that the patient was a pseudo patient.
