SOCPSY 1Z03 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Pediatrics, Field Experiment, Participant Observation

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Social Psychology
• Course: SOCPSY 1Z03
• Professor: Jeff Racine

Document Summary

Diagnosing someone"s mental condition correctly is a difficult problem in social perception. A study conducted by rosenhan demonstrates this problem. 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. The main study is an example of a field experiment. The manipulation (independent variable) was the made up symptoms of the pseudo patients, and the dependent variable was the psychiatrists" admission and diagnostic label of the pseudo patient. The study also involved participant observation, since, once admitted, the pseudo-patients kept written records of how the ward as a whole operated, as well as how they personally were treated. These pseudo-patients telephoned the hospital for an appointment, and arrived at the admissions office complaining that they had been hearing voices. They said the voice, which was unfamiliar and the same sex as themselves, was often unclear but it said "empty", "hollow", "thud".