Rosenhan

Question 0

Aim

Answer 0

To test the hypothesis that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are sane and insane.

Question 1

Sample

Answer 1

The nursing staff, doctors and psychiatric specialists from 12 hospitals across America

Question 2

Method (main study)

Answer 2

Field experiment with use of participant observation

Question 3

Results for Main study

Answer 3

Responses of staff towards pseudo patient requests

8 p patients spent 7-52 days in hospital. On average 19 days

71 psychiatrists moved on with heads averted.
23 made eye contact.
2 paused and chatted.
4 stopped and talked.

Question 4

Results of second study

Answer 4

No. of patients judged was 193 - all were real patients.

41 confidently judged as a pseudo patient by 1 staff member.
23 suspected by a psychiatrist.
19 suspected by staff + psychiatrist.

Question 5

Conclusions

Answer 5

Psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are sane or insane.

Study 1 - failure to detect sanity.
Study 2 - failure to detect insanity.

‘Stickiness of labels’
Psychiatric labels stick in a way medical labels don’t. All behaviour of a person is associated/said to be a symptom when given a psychiatric label.

Pseudo patients said they felt depersonalised and powerless whilst hospitalised.