Instructor: Steven Piker

No image available Biography: Steve Piker is retired after teaching Anthropology at Swarthmore College. He enjoys volunteering at an elementary school and a Boys & Girls Club, and association with three senior colleges.

Classes by this instructor


IN-PERSON - Can Psychiatrists Tell a Hawk from a Handsaw?

Over 50 years ago, a psychology professor falsely claimed to hear voices, and was quickly admitted to a mental hospital with the label "schizophrenia." Immediately resuming his normal personality, he waited to see when he would be released. The shocking results, replicated with eight more "pseudo patients" and published in prestigious Science magazine, added hard data to growing popular belief: psychiatrists couldn't distinguish the "sane" from the "insane," and mental hospitals made sick people worse.
March 11, 2024 to April 29, 2024, Wishcamper Center, Room 105 - OLLI Library

REMOTE - Can Psychiatrists Tell a Hawk from a Handsaw?

Over 50 years ago, a psychology professor falsely claimed to hear voices, and was quickly admitted to a mental hospital with the label "schizophrenia." Immediately resuming his normal personality, he waited to see when he would be released. The shocking results, replicated with eight more "pseudo patients" and published in prestigious Science magazine, added hard data to growing popular belief: psychiatrists couldn't distinguish the "sane" from the "insane," and mental hospitals made sick people worse.
March 11, 2024 to April 29, 2024, Zoom