Rosenhan

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To test the reliability of diagnosis of psychological abnormality

Do you characteristicsthat lead to a diagnosis come from their environment or from patients themselves

Question 2

Method

Answer 2

Field experiment

Question 3

Iv&dv

Answer 3

Iv- pseudo patient or real patient

Dv- behaviour of ward staff ,psychiatrists, nurses and the real patience

Question 4

Participants

Answer 4

The staff and patience in 12 different hospitals across five different states in America

Question 5

Procedure

Answer 5

Pseudo patient asked for an appointment and told admission officer that they had been hearing voices and voice was unclear but said words like, empty, Hollow, and thud. Voice was same-sex as themselves. Pretended to be worried about meaning of life.

All pseudo patients except one where admitted to hospital. Onwards they continue to behave as normal and take notes on experience.

In four of hospitals pseudo patient approach to staff member and asked’pardon me, could you tell me when I will be presented at the staff meeting’, or ‘when am I likely to be discharged’

As a control a record was kept of a young lady approaching staff members on the university campus asking six questions. All the staff members stopped and answered all questions and the respondents maintained eye contact with the lady

Only 4% of psychiatrists and even fewer nurses stopped and answer the question posed by pseudo patient and most continued without pausing

Question 6

Controls

Answer 6

All pseudo patients reported same symptoms

All took notes on same way

Question 7

Findings

Answer 7

All pseudo patients released with the label schizophrenia in remission

Length of stay range between 7 to 52 days average being 19

Some real patience seemed aware of sanity of pseudo patients and some commented that they were journalists

Pseudo patients flashed medication down loo and reported some real patients doing this too

Normal behaviour reported as abnormal for example writing notes was described as ‘the patient engaged in writing behaviour’ and arriving early for lunch was described as ‘oral acquisitive syndrome’

Question 8

Follow-up study

Answer 8

Staff informed of results and told that at some time during the next three months one or more pseudo patients would attempts to be admitted to the hospital

Each member of staff was asked to rate the patience and the likelihood that they were pseudo patients on a 10 point scale

193 patience what judged. None with pseudo patients. 41 confidently judged to be pseudo patient

Question 9

Conclusions

Answer 9

Doctors bias to making type two errors. As it is potentially dangerous to release sick person without treatment

Diagnosis of psychological abnormality are not reliable

Question 10

Approach

Answer 10

Individual differences