Rosenhan (1973) Flashcards
Aim
To test the hypothesis that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are sane and those who are insane.
What kind of experiment was it?
A field experiment
What was the IV?
The made up symptoms of the pseudo patients
What was the DV?
The psychiatrists’ admission and diagnostic label of the pseudo patient.
Who were the ppts in the study?
The real life patients, doctors and nurses
How many sane people were there?
8
5 men + 3 women
How many hospitals were used?
12
How many states in the USA did the study span?
5
What did the pseudo patients do to get admitted?
Phoned the hospital for an appointed and complained that they had been hearing voices.
They said the voice was unfamiliar, the same sex, often unclear but said: ‘empty’, ‘hollow’ and ‘thud’
Why were the pseudo patients given a false name and job?
To protect future health and employment records.
All other information was true.
What happened when the pseudo patients were admitted?
They stopped stimulating any symptoms of abnormality, but Rosenhan did note that they were nervous.
What did the pseudo patients do in the hospitals?
They took part in ward activities, speaking to patients and staff. When asked how they were feeling by the staff they said they were feeling fine and no longer experiences symptoms.
They had to get out on their own by convincing the staff that they were sane.
They would write notes about their observations - initially done secretly but as it became clear no one was bothered it was done more openly.
What did pseudo patients do in 4 hospitals?
Carried out an observation of staff towards patients that illustrate the experience of being on a psychiatric ward. They asked a staff member with a request ‘Pardon me Mr/Mrs/Dr…, could you teak me when I will be presented at the staff meeting/likely to be discharged?’
