Rosenhan
Exam-Style Questions: Rosenhan
Section A 1. In Rosenhan’s study “sane in insane places” the terms “type 1” and “type 2” errors were used. a) A “type 2” error is referred to as a false positive, where a healthy person is wrongly diagnosed with a sickness. In Rosenhan’s study, pseudopatients were misdiagnosed with schizophrenia when there was nothing wrong with them at all. b) The reason why healthy professionals made type 2 errors in the original diagnosis of pseudopatients was because doctors have a strong bias towards the type 2 error. It is more dangerous to misdiagnose illness than health, as they would rather err on the side of caution.
2. In the study by Rosenhan pseudopatients were admitted to mental hospitals. a) One of the pseudopatients’ behaviours which were taken as evidence of abnormality was when they sat outside the cafeteria half an hour before lunchtime. Another behaviour which was taken as evidence of abnormality was when they wrote in their journals. b) It is difficult to define abnormality and normality because they have different meanings in different cultures. Something that may be considered normal in one culture may seem completely abnormal in another culture. Also, in some situations, an individual may appear sane and in another may appear insane.
3. Rosenhan (sane in insane places) suggested mental patients experienced powerlessness and depersonalisation. a) Two examples of powerlessness and depersonalisation in Rosenhan’s study was the fact that the staff treated the patients with very little respect and gave them hardly any privacy. For example, they were punished for minor incidents and they had no doors on their toilets. b) One possible explanation for the behaviour of staff in this study could be regarding staff shortages and the lack of money in the mental hospitals. Also the use of psychotropic drugs could contribute to the behaviour of the staff as they may believe that the patients are
Section A 1. In Rosenhan’s study “sane in insane places” the terms “type 1” and “type 2” errors were used. a) A “type 2” error is referred to as a false positive, where a healthy person is wrongly diagnosed with a sickness. In Rosenhan’s study, pseudopatients were misdiagnosed with schizophrenia when there was nothing wrong with them at all. b) The reason why healthy professionals made type 2 errors in the original diagnosis of pseudopatients was because doctors have a strong bias towards the type 2 error. It is more dangerous to misdiagnose illness than health, as they would rather err on the side of caution.
2. In the study by Rosenhan pseudopatients were admitted to mental hospitals. a) One of the pseudopatients’ behaviours which were taken as evidence of abnormality was when they sat outside the cafeteria half an hour before lunchtime. Another behaviour which was taken as evidence of abnormality was when they wrote in their journals. b) It is difficult to define abnormality and normality because they have different meanings in different cultures. Something that may be considered normal in one culture may seem completely abnormal in another culture. Also, in some situations, an individual may appear sane and in another may appear insane.
3. Rosenhan (sane in insane places) suggested mental patients experienced powerlessness and depersonalisation. a) Two examples of powerlessness and depersonalisation in Rosenhan’s study was the fact that the staff treated the patients with very little respect and gave them hardly any privacy. For example, they were punished for minor incidents and they had no doors on their toilets. b) One possible explanation for the behaviour of staff in this study could be regarding staff shortages and the lack of money in the mental hospitals. Also the use of psychotropic drugs could contribute to the behaviour of the staff as they may believe that the patients are