IB Psych - Triangulation

triangulation

a combination of different approaches to collecting and interpreting data

researcher triangulation

combining observations / interpretations of different researchers

reflexivity

researchers should reflect on the possibility that their own biases might have interfered with the observations of interpretations

personal reflexivity

understanding how one’s personal beliefs and expectations of the researcher may affect results

aim of rosenhan

to investigate whether psychiatrists in a naturalistic setting could tell the difference between sane and insane people

procedure

8 healthy subjects tried to gain admission into psychiatric hospitals saying they heard voices in thier head, this being the only symptom. Upon admission patients stopped hearing voices, behaved normally and wrote down their observations

results

7 of 8 patients were admitted to a hospital with diagnosis of schizophrenia, all released with schizophrenia in remission

reason this study is connected to target

this study is related to researcher triangulation because multiple “patients” (researchers) went to different institutions to gather observations and interpretations from multiple researchers. Additionally, the researchers had to practice personal reflexivity by monitoring how their own expectations and reactions to the hospital environment may influence their interpretation of the staff’s behaviors and the patients’ experiences.