Throughout his career, he showed strong preferences for experimental methods in social psychology, having little time for alternative approaches such as discourse analysis.

After completing with distinction a Royal Air Force science course at the University of Cambridge he trained as a navigator in Canada (1943-7).

In June 1949 Michael married Sonia Kemp and they had four children, Miranda (1952), Nick (1954), Rosalind (1957) and Ophelia (1963).

After the war he read part one in moral sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and in 1950 graduated with first class honours in experimental psychology.

In 1990 The International Society of the Study of Personal Relationships in 1990 gave him a distinguished career contribution award.

Both books show Argyle's commitment to empiricism in psychology, and list results of surveys into topics such as beliefs in the afterlife or frequencies of religious experience in the general population.

Although social class is a concept largely studied by soci plus numerous edited books, chapters, and articles in learned journals