Rozenhans Study

Question 1

limitations of the sane in insane places?

Answer 1

The sample of hospitals was small. The pseudo patients may have behaved differently because they knew they could get out of the hospital. Psychological stress may have been caused to the real patients, but also to the researchers.

Question 2

suggestions of the study?

Answer 2

The Rosenhan study in 1973 suggested that psychiatric diagnoses are often subjective and unreliable. Rosenhan and his associates feigned hallucinations to get admitted to mental hospitals but acted normally afterward.

Question 3

conclusions of the study?

Answer 3

In his experiment, Rosenhan realized that doctors could not distinguish healthy people from people with mental illnesses. He concluded that it is very difficult to distinguish sanity and insanity in a hospital setup.

Question 4

aim of the study

Answer 4

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are sane and those who are insane.

Question 5

How does Rosenhan’s study demonstrate the effects of clinical bias in diagnosis?

Answer 5

psychiatric diagnoses are often subjective and unreliable.