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In this case the label was a psychiatric one: schizophrenia.
Dr. Rosenhan had himself and eight other volunteers admitted to mental hospitals throughout the United states by faking symptoms of schizophrenia. He chose this real life setting as the best way to test the impact of a label. Once admitted, the pseudo-patients immediately began behaving "normal," following orders, talking to others, and indicating that they no longer experienced any of the symptoms that brought them to the hospital.
Despite the normal behavior, none of the patients were recognized as a "sane" person. Their stays ranged from 7-52 days with an average stay of 19 days. Normal behaviors were interpreted to fit the label. For instance, the pseudo-patients took extensive notes while they were on the wards and in the open. Nursing records indicated that this note-taking behavior was seen as "an aspect of their pathological behavior!" Rosenhan declared that we cannot tell the sane from the insane in psychiatric hospitals.
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