Robert Rosenthal (March 2, 1933 – January 5, 2024) was a German-born American psychologist who was a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside.
Rosenthal was born in Gießen, Hesse, on March 2, 1933, and left Germany with his family at the age of six and arrived in the U.S. in 1940.
Much of his work has focused on nonverbal communication, particularly its influence on expectations: for example, in doctor-patient or manager-employee situations.
The many awards he has won include the 2003 Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in the Science of Psychology from the American Psychological Association and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
A survey in the Review of General Psychology, published in 2002, ranked Rosenthal as the 84th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.