How I spent my last 50-year vacation: Bob Rosenthal’s lifetime of research into interpersonal expectancy effects.

Abstract

This chapter traces the history of the research into the interpersonal expectancy effect. It demonstrates how the seminal work of Merton contributed to exploration of the phenomenon in laboratory experiments and explains how the concept was applied as an explanation of various social phenomena. The chapter traces the work of Robert Rosenthal, in particular, and presents much of his work into interpersonal expectancy effects within the educational environment from primary to tertiary level. However, the chapter also presents the application of expectancy effects to fields as broad as medicine, law, and industry. The chapter traces the application of non-verbal research to studies within education as well as more broadly.