Robert Rosenthal

Robert Rosenthal is University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Since joining UC Riverside in 1999, he is also the Edgar Pierce Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Harvard University. Rosenthal's interests include self-fulfilling prophecies, which he explored in a well-known study of the Pygmalion Effect: the effect of teachers' expectations on students. He has carried out pioneering investigations of the role of interpersonal expectancies in scientific research and in everyday contexts such as classrooms, clinics, and courtrooms. He has illuminated sources of artifact in behavioral research and contributed to the understanding of various quantitative procedures such as contrast analysis and meta-analysis. Much of his work has focused on nonverbal communication, particularly its influence on expectations: for example, in doctor-patient or manager-employee situations. His groundbreaking research into experimenter bias and self-fulfilling prophecy - known as the Rosenthal Effect - led to the development of double-blind studies in the social and biomedical sciences, and ultimately challenged two generations of researchers to focus on how body language and tone of voice can influence the results of jury trials, student performance and patient outcomes. He has also had a major influence on statistical practice with his work on meta-analysis and as Co-Chair of the APA Task Force on Statistical Inference. In 2003 Rosenthal received an honorary doctorate from the University of Giessen in Germany, where he was born.