Rosenhan (1973)

Question 1

Aim:

Answer 1

Is it possible to diagnose insanity by presenting sane people as insane to how reliable a diagnosis is

Question 2

Sample:

Answer 2

• 8 pseudo (fake) patients- including Rosenhan himself
• over 20 years of age
• 3 female, 5 male

Question 3

How many different hospitals were involved?

Answer 3

12 (in 5 different US states)

Old and modern

Question 4

What did pps say they’d been hearing on arrival at the hospital?

Answer 4

Voices

Question 5

What did pps have to do once in hospital?

Answer 5

Convince staff they were sane, then they could leave

Question 6

What did pps tell staff throughout experiment?

Answer 6

That they no longer had any symptoms

Question 7

Did pps actually take meds provided?

Answer 7

No

Question 8

What did pps say their experiences were like?

Answer 8

Distressing and unpleasant

Question 9

What type of experiment?

Answer 9

Field

Question 10

How many hospitals admitted pseudo patients?

Answer 10

All 12

Question 11

How many diagnosed with schizophrenia?

Answer 11

All except one (and diagnosed with schizophrenia in remission)

Question 12

What did real patients on the ward say to pps?

Answer 12

“You’re not crazy. You’re checking out the hospital”

Question 13

Type one errors were common, define type 1:

Answer 13

Healthy diagnosed as ill

Question 14

Did pps spend much time with psychiatrists?

Answer 14

No, spent more time with cleaners

Question 15

3 ways that pps felt “powerless”:

Answer 15

• no privacy
• lack of confidentiality with case notes
• physical exams conducted in semi- public places