Paths to the mental hospital and staff predictions of patient role behavior.

An experiment was designed to test the hypothesis that the route taken by a pyschiatric patient to the hospital would influence staff member's predictions of the patient's behavior. Two aspects of the patient's entry into the hospital were studied: (1) whether the patient had been legally committed by the state or whether he entered with a "voluntary" status, and (2) whether the recommendation to enter the hospital came from a decision reached within the family, or with outside influence. The results showed that staff members did anticipate the patients who entered the hospital voluntarily would be more attractive and conforming than those who entered involuntarily. Staff members also showed a tendency to anticipate that patients who entered because of a family decision would be better patients than those who entered as a result of interference by an outside agency. This effect was most apparent among nurses when the patient had gained voluntary admission to the hospital.