David Rosenhan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Rosenhan
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David L. Rosenhan
22 November 1929 Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | 6 February 2012 (aged 82) Palo Alto, California, U.S.
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| Known for | Rosenhan experiment |
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| Fields | Psychology |
| Institutions | Swarthmore College, Princeton University, Haverford College, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University |
| Thesis | Some perceptual correlates of anxiety (1958) |
David L. Rosenhan (November 22, 1929 – February 6, 2012) was an American psychologist. He is best known for the Rosenhan experiment. This famous study questioned how accurate psychiatric diagnoses were.
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About David L. Rosenhan
David L. Rosenhan was born on November 22, 1929. He earned his first degree in mathematics in 1951 from Yeshiva University. Later, he received his master's degree in economics in 1953. He then earned his doctorate in psychology in 1958, both from Columbia University.
Rosenhan was a pioneer in applying psychology to law. He studied things like how expert witnesses are used. He also looked at how juries are chosen and how they make decisions.
He became a professor of law and psychology at Stanford University in 1971. He taught there until he retired in 1998. Before Stanford, he taught at other universities like Princeton University. He was also a research psychologist. Rosenhan passed away on February 6, 2012, at the age of 82.
The Rosenhan Experiment
In 1973, David Rosenhan published a very important study. It was called "On Being Sane in Insane Places." This study is now known as the Rosenhan experiment.
Rosenhan wanted to see if mental health professionals could tell the difference between people who were truly ill and those who were not. He believed that once someone was labeled with a mental illness, it was hard to change that label.
How the Experiment Worked
Rosenhan had eight people, including himself, pretend to have symptoms. These people did not have any history of mental illness. They went to twelve different psychiatric hospitals. They all said they heard voices. This was the only symptom they reported.
Once admitted, they stopped pretending to have symptoms. They acted completely normal. They took notes about what happened. The goal was to see how long it would take for the staff to realize they were not actually ill.
Surprising Results
All eight people were admitted to the hospitals. Most were diagnosed with serious mental conditions like schizophrenia. Even though they acted normally, the staff did not realize they were faking.
The "pseudo-patients" (fake patients) stayed in the hospitals for different lengths of time. Some stayed for 7 days, others for up to 52 days. They were only released after they agreed they had a mental illness. They also had to agree to take medication.
This part of the study showed that it was hard to tell "sane" from "insane" in a hospital setting. The label of "patient" seemed to stick.
A Follow-Up Challenge
After the first study, a research hospital challenged Rosenhan. They said their staff could spot fake patients. Rosenhan agreed to send more pseudo-patients to their hospital.
The hospital staff were warned that at least one fake patient might be sent. They then identified 83 out of 193 new patients as possibly being fake. But here's the twist: Rosenhan actually sent no fake patients at all!
This second part of the study further showed how difficult accurate diagnosis could be. It suggested that expectations and labels could influence how people were seen.
What the Experiment Meant
The Rosenhan experiment caused a lot of discussion. It suggested that the way mental health conditions were diagnosed might not be very accurate. It also explored something called labeling theory. This idea suggests that when people are given a label, it can change how they see themselves. It can also change how others treat them. For example, if someone is labeled as "deviant," their behavior might start to match that label.
Criticism of the Research
Years later, some questions were raised about Rosenhan's experiment. In 2019, author Susannah Cahalan wrote a book called The Great Pretender. She looked closely at the experiment's details.
Cahalan found that Rosenhan never published more information about his study data. She also had trouble finding the people who were part of the experiment. She found only two. One had a similar experience to Rosenhan's. The other had a positive hospital experience, which was not included in Rosenhan's published results.
Some people, like Kenneth J. Gergen, a colleague of Rosenhan's, had doubts about his work. Cahalan's book suggests that Rosenhan might not have been completely truthful about his findings. While she couldn't be totally sure, her book raised serious questions about the experiment's accuracy.
See also
In Spanish: David Rosenhan para niños
