Rosemary Pierrel Sorrentino received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Boston University (1945 and 1946, respectively), and her Ph.D. in psychology from Brown University in 1953. She also received an honorary degree in Humane Letters from Brown University in 1992.
Sorrentino was an instructor at Wheelock College in Boston from 1946 to 1949 and at Brown University from 1953 to 1955 before heading to Columbia University to teach experimental psychology. She went on to become the last dean of Pembroke College, the women's college in Brown University until the women's and men's colleges merged in 1971. During her decade as dean, she emphasized academics and encouraged women to pursue careers as scholars.
Sorrentino continued her research and became well known for her role in the Barnabus study at Brown University, conducting experiments to produce evidence of learning through reward and punishment in rats. A "Barnabas demonstration box" was constructed, in which the rat was conditioned to perform numerous tasks to be rewarded with a pellet of food.
Sorrentino married Louis Sorrentino and had a stepson, a stepdaughter, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. She died on November 11, 2003.
This collection consists of the professional papers of Rosemary Pierrel Sorrentino, professor of psychology at Brown University and Dean of Pembroke College, the women's college in Brown University, from 1961 until the women's and men's colleges merged in 1971. Sorrentino is also a Brown University alumna who earned her Ph.D. in psychology there in 1953. This collection includes correspondence related to her Brown professorship and Pembroke deanship, reports related to Pembroke College, and typed drafts of speeches given in her role as dean. Materials date from 1940 – 1985 and are arranged into 1 series alphabetically by record type.
All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the John Hay Library are requested to complete a Notice of Intent to Publish, prior to reproducing, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Rosemary Pierrel Sorrentino papers, AMS.1UF.S6, Box [#], Folder [#], Pembroke Center Archives, John Hay Library, Brown University.
This collection is arranged into 1 series alphabetically by record type.
There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Gift of Rosemary Pierrel Sorrentino.
See also