False Memories: Interview with Dr. Elizabeth Loftus

WILDCIDE

Y'all! Today is a special interview because Bailey gets to sit down with her professional crush Dr. Elizabeth Loftus. Dr. Loftus shares about her extensive research in the field of memory particularly around the misinformation effect, false memory and criticism of recovered memory therapies. Dr. Loftus is an instrumental figure in cognitive psychology. Her work has made a huge contribution to psychology and opened a unique and controversial aspect of psychology and memory. She has been an expert witness or consultant in hundreds of cases, including the McMartin preschool molestation case, the trial of Oliver North, the trial of the officers accused in the Rodney King beating, litigation involving Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, Scooter Libby, and the Duke University Lacrosse players; as well as Ghislaine Maxwell, Harvey Weinstein, Ted Bundy, O.J. Simpson, Angelo Buono and Robert Durst. This is one interview that you absolutely do not want to miss.

About Dr. Loftus:

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus is a professor of psychology and expert researcher on the malleability and reliability of repressed memories, is one of the nation's leading experts on memory. Dr. Loftus discovered psychology at UCLA where she received her BA in 1966 in math and psychology. In 1968, she applied to graduate school at Stanford where she became interested in long term memory. Dr. Loftus went on to receive her M.A. in 1967 and her Ph.D in 1970, from Stanford. In 1973, Dr. Loftus was offered a position as assistant professor at the University of Washington in Seattle and began her research with investigations of how the mind classifies and remembers information. In the 1970's, she began to reevaluate the direction of her research where she began her research on traumatically repressed memories and eyewitness accounts. Dr. Loftus suddenly found herself in the midst of sexual abuse stories and defending accused offenders. In 1974, her research thrust her into the courtroom to testify in over 200 trials as an expert witness on the unreliability of eyewitness testimonies based on false memories, which she believed to be triggered, suggested, implanted, or created in the mind. She testifies with the hope of preventing an innocent victim from going to prison and protecting a family's unity.

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus has appeared on countless talk shows including the Oprah Winfrey Show. She has published 19 books and nearly 200 articles. She remains one of the most sought after psychology speakers and is an important spokesperson for the False Memory Syndrome Foundation (FMSF). Dr. Loftus is an avid member of several psychological associations and has received numerous grants, fellowships, and awards. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, Western Psychological Association, and the Psychonomic Society. Her most recent award was in 1995 when she received the Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. She attains the highest respect from her colleagues and remains an important figure in this unfolding drama of memories and crime.

Dr. Loftus' Publications:

https://www.law.uci.edu/faculty/full-time/loftus/

The Myth of Repressed Memory: False Memories & Allegations of Sexual Abuse

Witness for the Defense