Topic one: Rosenhan key research study one Flashcards
Aim of the first study?
To see if a group of some people presenting themselves as having a disorder would be diagnosed as inane by staff at psychiatric hospitals.
Method - Sample of the of the first study?
patients and staff from 12 hospitals in five different states in america.
Method - Who were the confederates?
8 pseudo-patients pretending to have a mental disorder
Method - What was the research method?
Participant observation as the Ps were pretending to be real patients.
Procedure - Getting admitted?
The PPs rang and asked for appointment. They complained of hearing voices saying ‘thud’+’empty’+’hollow’. All details true except name and job.
Procedure - Behaviour once admitted?
They acted normal. Said they no longer experienced the symptoms. They wrote notes about their observation.
Results - Diagnosis?
All but one diagnosed with schizophrenia. 7 to 52 days. 35/118 patient said they don’t believe the PPs to have a mental disorder. No staff suspected anything.
Results - Effect of labelling?
Normal behaviour interpreted to be symptoms. Queueing early=Pathological behaviour.
Results - depersonalisation and powerlessness?
Lacked privacy, no doors on toilets. They were denied freedom of movement.
Background context?
In the 60s psychiatrists criticised the medical model. The anti-psychiatry movement. Psychiatrists often disagreed on defendants sanity, Rosenhan questioned reliability of abnormality tests.
