In Memory Of… Robert Rosenthal
Honoring scientists who have made important and lasting contributions to the sciences of mind, brain, and behavior.
Robert Rosenthal, PhD (1933-2024)
Distinguished Professor of Psychology
University of California, Riverside
Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Emeritus
Harvard University
Robert Rosenthal, Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Riverside, received his B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. For over 40 years, his research has centered on the role of the self-fulfilling prophecy in everyday life and in laboratory situations. He has conducted groundbreaking investigations on the effects of teachers’ expectations on students’ academic and physical performance, the effects of experimenters’ expectations on the results of their research, and the effects of clinicians’ expectations on their patients’ mental and physical health. He has also been a pioneer in studying the role of nonverbal communication in the mediation of interpersonal expectancy effects and in the relationship between members of small work groups and small social groups.
Professor Rosenthal has also made significant contributions to the area of sources of artifact in behavioral research and in various quantitative procedures. In the realm of data analysis, his special interests are in experimental design and analysis, contrast analysis, and meta-analysis. His most recent books and articles focus on these areas of data analysis and the nature of nonverbal communication in various interactions such as teacher-student, doctor-patient, manager-employee, judge-jury, and psychotherapist-client interaction. He is the Co-Chair of the Task Force on Statistical Inference of the American Psychological Association.
Rosenthal’s research has inspired hundreds of studies. In addition, he has worked with dozens of Ph.D. students who have gone on to distinguished careers themselves. Rosenthal is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Science of Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation, the Distinguished Scientific Award for Applications of Psychology from APA, the James McKeen Cattell Award, the SESP Distinguished Scientist Award, the AAAS Prize for Behavioral Science Research (with N. Ambady), the SPSP Donald Campbell Award, and the AAAS Socio-Psychological Prize (with K. Fode). He has also been a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and a Senior Fulbright Scholar.
Individuals Honoring Robert Rosenthal:
Nalini Ambady, Tufts University
Frank Bernieri, Oregon State University
* Peter Blanck, Syracuse University
Ross Buck, University of Connecticut
Judee Burgoon, University of Arizona
Harris Cooper, Duke University
Linda Degnen, Tufts University
Bella DePaulo, University of California, Santa Barbara
Mary Amanda Dew, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
* Robert Feldman, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Susan Fiske, Princeton University
Howard Friedman, University of California
David Funder, University of California, Riverside
Judith Hall, Northeastern University
Todd Heatherton, Dartmouth College
Monica Kern, University of Kentucky
Ronald Riggio, Claremont McKenna College
Ralph Rosnow, Temple University
Donald Rubin, Harvard University
* The FABBS Foundation would like to thank Dr. Robert Feldman and Dr. Peter Blanck for nominating Dr. Rosenthal for this honor and for leading the effort to spread the word about his nomination.
