Evaluating Rosenhan
Think about how you would
start to evaluate this study.
What are the main
strengths/weaknesses?
Evaluation Points (MRS.IDWIU)
1 Methodology
2 Sample
3 Data Collection
4 Reliability & Validity
5 Ethics
6 Whole study evaluation
7 Improvements/Changes
8 Usefulness
Start at one post and you have 1 minute to
add as many evaluation points as you can
for the heading.
We will then rotate.
This will get harder as we go around, but
you can respond to/expand on other
peoples points/add in examples.
Evaluation Carousel
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Let’s now bring that all together as a
group and make sure we have the
relevant notes
On being sane in insane
places
Evaluation
 Remember
when you evaluate you
need to be able to explain why you
are saying what you are saying.
What does evaluation mean?
Research method
The samples
Type of data collected: Quantitative
Type of data collected: Qualitative
What is validity?
Validity refers to whether a study measures
or examines what it claims to measure or
examine.
Validity
Ecological validity
•
Using eight people in twelve hospitals meant
that the study was replicated and, as the same
results were found, this gives the study
reliability.
•
Pseudopatients all reported the same symptom,
and in 11 out of 12 of cases the same diagnosis
was given. This shows there was consistency in
(inaccurate) diagnoses, a strength for the study
because it means that doctors are consistently
diagnosing the same symptoms with the same
disorder
Reliability – was there consistency
in diagnosis?
What does this study tell us about
this?
It shows us that the situation can
disort people’s view of the sanity of
another, i.e. the health worker’s
saw ‘normal’ people as ‘abnormal’
as soon as they had been admitted
to a psychiatric hospital.
Personality versus situation
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Highlighted issues with diagnosis
Highlighted the experience of those in
psychiatric hospitals e.g.
depersonalisation and powerlessness
Highlighted the long-term impact of labels
Led to changes in psychiatry
However, DSM has changed a lot since
then – still applicable?
How useful is the study? Why?

Was this study ethical?
Ethics
YES
NO
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(e) Suggest how your chosen study could be
improved.
Answers are likely to refer to ways of:
Improving ecological validity.
Reducing the chance that demand
characteristics/social desirability will influence results.
Making the study longitudinal rather than snapshot
Improving any ethical issues.
Other appropriate suggestions should be
considered
and accepted.
Change 1:
Change 2:
Changes you would make to the study
and why
Change 3:
Change 4:
Changes you would make to the study
and why