Elizabeth Loftus

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Elizabeth F. Loftus
Born 1944
Residence California
Citizenship United States
Nationality United States
Fields Psychology
Institutions University of California, Irvine;
Alma mater Stanford University
Known for Studies of human memory
Notable awards Grawemeyer Award (2005)
National Academy of Sciences (2004)
Royal Society of Edinburgh (2005)

Elizabeth F. Loftus (born 1944)[1] is an American psychologist and expert on human memory. She has conducted extensive research on the misinformation effect and the nature of false memories.[2][3] Loftus has been recognized throughout the world for her work, receiving numerous awards and honorary degrees. In 2002, Loftus was 58th in a list of the 100 most influential researchers in psychology in the 20th century, and the highest ranked woman on the list.[4]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Education

Loftus received her bachelor's degree in mathematics and psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1966 and her MA (1967) and Ph.D (1970) in psychology from Stanford University.[5]

[edit] Career

Loftus is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society, and the Department of Cognitive Sciences, a Fellow of The Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California, Irvine, and a Fellow of the Committee of Skeptical Inquiry's CSICOP Executive Council. She is also a Professor of Law.[6][7][8][9]

One of her studies is the reconstruction of automobile destruction study, which is an example of the misinformation effect. She also developed the lost in the mall technique as a method of testing her hypothesis that false memories can be clinically created. Her pilot study of the lost in the mall technique has been criticized for the ethics used in acquiring subjects[10] and for being used to draw inappropriate conclusions about false memories and therapeutic techniques.[10][11] Loftus published a rebuttal to these criticisms by pointing out the variety of errors, exaggerations and omissions regarding the research that may represent a deliberate attempt to distort her work, and stated that the criticisms appeared to be based on personal animosity rather than a valid understanding of the research. Loftus also pointed out that the study design and findings had been replicated repeatedly, demonstrating the soundness of the conclusions. Regarding the ethics of the creation of the study, Loftus stated that it was primarily a colleague who "piloted" the study with his daughter, and later revisited the idea as part of an undergraduate class she was teaching, and emphasized that participants demonstrated no adverse effects upon follow-up.[12]

Loftus has also been involved in the trials of Ted Bundy, O. J. Simpson, the Hillside Stranglers, and the McMartin preschool trial workers.[13] Loftus is a member of the Scientific and Professional Advisory Board of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation.[14]

[edit] Testimony in Scooter Libby trial

On October 26, 2006, Loftus was called as the first defense witness in a pretrial hearing in the federal perjury case against Presidential aide Lewis Libby.[15]

[edit] Harassment related to research

After criticizing the theory of recovered memory and testifying about the nature of memory and false allegations of child sexual abuse as part of the day care sex abuse hysteria, Loftus was subject to on-line harassment by Diana Napolis. A conspiracy theorist, Napolis believed Loftus was engaged in satanic ritual abuse or assisted in covering up these crimes as part of a larger conspiracy.[16] After addressing a scientific conference in New Zealand, Loftus was accosted by a group of protesters who alleged she had abused children, in part basing their accusations on Napolis' web postings.

[edit] Jane Doe case

Loftus and the University of Washington were sued in 2003 by Nicole Taus regarding a 2002 publication[17] which questioned the use of Taus as a case study[18] regarding the accuracy of repressed and recovered memories. The suit involved allegations of invasion of privacy and other torts, and resulted in twenty of the twenty-one counts against Loftus being dismissed as a "strategic lawsuit against public participation". In February, 2007, the Supreme Court of California dismissed all counts but Taus's claim that Loftus misrepresented herself as Corwin's supervisor in interviewing Taus's foster mother.[19] The case was settled in August, 2007 when Loftus' insurance company agreed to a nuisance settlement of $7,500 rather than cover the cost of a trial, and both paid their own legal costs. In November, 2007 Taus was required to pay $246,000 to others she had sued.[20][21]

Loftus published her own analysis of the case in 2009.[22]

[edit] Other appearances

Loftus attended and was a speaker at the Beyond Belief symposium on November 2006.[23] She was a keynote speaker at The British Psychological Society Annual Conference in 2011, held in Glasgow on May 4–6.[24]

[edit] Honors and awards

A study published by the Review of General Psychology identifying the 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century ranked Loftus 58th on the list, and she was the top ranked woman.[4] Loftus has been the president of the Association for Psychological Science, the Western Psychological Association, and the American Psychology-Law Society. Loftus was the 2005 recipient of the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology. In February 2011, Elizabeth Loftus received the 2010 AAAS Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award.[25]

On February 19, 2011 Committee For Skeptical Inquiry CSICOP fellow Elizabeth Loftus was awarded the American Association for the Advancement of Science Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award. In her acceptance speech Loftus states that the word “freedom” is personally important to her, as when she began speaking out about repressed memory, she never imagined she would become “the target of organized, relentless vitriol and harassment”. Loftus feels that today's world is for science is a perilous one. If scientists want to preserve their freedoms they need to speak out “against even the most cherished beliefs that reflect unsubstantiated myths”.[26]

Year Award
2001 William James Fellow Award from the Association for Psychological Science[27][28]
2003 American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Scientific Applications of Psychology; delivered award address at 2003 APA's convention.[6]
2003 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[1]
2004 Election to National Academy of Sciences
2005 Grawemeyer Award in Psychology
2005 Elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh
2006 Elected to the American Philosophical Society.

[edit] Honorary doctorates

Loftus has also received a total of six honorary degrees in a variety of fields.[29]

Year Institution Honorary degree
1982 Miami University Doctor of Science
1990 Leiden University, Netherlands Honoris Causa
1994 John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York Doctor of Laws
1998 University of Portsmouth, England Doctor of Science
2005 University of Haifa, Israel Doctor of Philosophy
2008 University of Oslo, Norway Honoris Causa

[edit] Publications

Loftus has written or contributed to numerous publications, including books and some notable journal articles.

[edit] Journal articles

[edit] Books

Learning. Mednick, S.A., Pollio, R. H. & Loftus, E.F. (1973). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Japanese edition: Iwanami Shoten Publishers, Tokyo.

Human Memory: The Processing of Information. Loftus, G.R. & Loftus, E.F. (1976) Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum Associates. Japanese edition: University of Tokyo Press.

Cognitive Processes. Bourne, L.E., Dominowski, R. L., & Loftus, E.F. (1979). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Eyewitness Testimony. Loftus, E.F. (1979). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.(National Media Award, Distinguished Contribution, 1980). (Reissued with new Preface in 1996). Japanese edition: Seishin Shobo, Tokyo.

Memory. Loftus, E.F. (1980). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. (Reprinted by NY: Ardsley Press 1988). Swedish edition: Liber Forlag, Stockholm. Hebrew edition: Or Am, Tel-Aviv. French edition: Le Jour, Editeur. Spanish edition: Compania Editorial Continental. Danish edition: Hernon Publishers.

Psychology. Wortman, C.B. & Loftus, E.F. (1981). New York: Random House (Knopf).

Essence of Statistics. Loftus, G.R. & Loftus, E.F. (1982). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Psychology Today Bootzin, R., Loftus, E., & Zajonc, R. (1983). (5th ed.). NY: Random House.

Mind at Play. Loftus, G.R. & Loftus, E.F. (1983). New York: Basic Books. Japanese edition: Companion Shuppan Ltd.

Eyewitness Testimony—Psychological perspectives. Wells, G. & Loftus, E.F. (Eds.) (1984). NY: Cambridge University Press.

Psychology (2nd ed.) Wortman, C.B. & Loftus, E.F. (1985). NY: Random House (Knopf).

Cognitive Processes. Bourne, L.E., Dominowski, R.L., Loftus, E.F., & Healy, A. (1986). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

Eyewitness Testimony: Civil and Criminal. Loftus, E.F. & Doyle, J. (1987). NY: Kluwer.

Statistics. Loftus, G.R. & Loftus, E.F. (1988). New York: Random House.

Psychology (3rd ed.). Wortman, C.B. & Loftus, E.F. (1988). NY: Random House (Knopf).

Witness for the Defense; The Accused, the Eyewitness, and the Expert Who Puts Memory on Trial Loftus, E.F. & Ketcham, K. (1991) NY: St. Martin’s Press. Chinese Translation: Taiwan: Business Weekly Publications 1999..

Psychology (4th ed.) Wortman, C.B. & Loftus, E.F. (1992) NY: McGraw Hill.

Eyewitness Testimony - Civil and Criminal. Loftus, E.F. & Doyle, J.M. (1992) Charlottesville, VA: The Michie Co.

The Myth of Repressed Memory. Loftus, E.F. & Ketcham, K. (1994) NY: St. Martin’s Press. Dutch edition: Graven in het geheugen, Amsterdam/Antwerpen: Uitgeverji L.J. Veen (1995) German edition: Die Therapierte erinnerung. (translated by Ingrid Klein): Hamburg: Verlag GmbH. (1995). French edition: Le syndrome des faux souvenirs. Collection Regard Critique: Editions Exergue,(1997). Bastei Lubbe Publishing. Taiwanese Translation: Yuan Liou Publishing. Japanese edition: Seishin Shobo Publishers (2000). Korean edition: Dosol Publishing (2008)

Eyewitness testimony: Civil & Criminal, 3rd edition. Loftus, E.F. & Doyle, J.M. (1997) Charlottesville, Va: Lexis Law Publishing.

Psychology (5th edition). Wortman, C.B., Loftus, E.F., & Weaver, C. (1999) NY: McGraw Hill.

Eyewitness testimony: Civil & Criminal, 4th edition. Loftus, E.F., Doyle, J.M. & Dysert, J. (2008) Charlottesville, Va: Lexis Law Publishing. (482 pages)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter L". American Academy of Arts and Sciences. http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterL.pdf. Retrieved 28 April 2011. 
  2. ^ Bernstein, D. M.; Laney, C.; Morris, E. K.; Loftus, E. F. (2005). "Inaugural Article: False beliefs about fattening foods can have healthy consequences". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 102 (39): 13724–13731. doi:10.1073/pnas.0504869102. PMC 1236554. PMID 16079200. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1236554.  edit
  3. ^ Zagorski, N. (2005). "Profile of Elizabeth F. Loftus". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 102 (39): 13721–13723. doi:10.1073/pnas.0506223102. PMC 1236565. PMID 16172386. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1236565.  edit
  4. ^ a b Haggbloom, SJ; Warnick R; Warnick JE; Jones VK; Yarbrough GL; Russell TM; Borecky CM; McGahhey R; Powell JL; Beavers J & Monte E (2002). "The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century" (pdf). Rev. Gen. Psychol 6 (2): 139–152. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139. http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139. 
  5. ^ Hayne, H; Garry M (2006). Do justice and let the sky fall: Elizabeth F. Loftus and her contributions to science, law, and academic freedom. Routledge. ISBN 0805852328. http://books.google.ie/books?id=lVxZDB1fyqoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
  6. ^ a b No Authorship Indicated, (2003). "Award for Distinguished Scientific Psychology" (pdf). American Psychologist (American Psychologist) 58 (11): 864–73. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.58.11.864. PMID 14609373. http://faculty.washington.edu/eloftus/Articles/AmerPsychAward+ArticlePDF03%20(2).pdf. 
  7. ^ "Elizabeth Loftus". University of California, Irvine. http://www.seweb.uci.edu/faculty/loftus/. Retrieved 2007-09-25. 
  8. ^ "Elizabeth Loftus". University of Washington. http://faculty.washington.edu/eloftus/. Retrieved 2007-09-25. 
  9. ^ "CSI Adds to Executive Council". Skeptical Inquirer. May 5, 2011. http://www.csicop.org/news/press_releases/show/csi_adds_to_executive_council. Retrieved 2011-06-13. 
  10. ^ a b Crook, L.; Dean, Martha (1999). "Lost in a Shopping Mall--A Breach of Professional Ethics.". Ethics & Behavior. 9 (1): 39–50. doi:10.1207/s15327019eb0901_3. PMID 11657487. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=95748793. Retrieved 2008-01-18. full text
  11. ^ Pope, K. (1996). "Memory, Abuse, and Science: Questioning Claims About the False Memory Syndrome Epidemic". American Psychologist 51 (9): 957–974. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.51.9.957. PMID 8819364. http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=HvMJ8y7hTLwzJKhQcXtBzn5T7hD51pStTy7SkQkzTNz51hB3Shgg!1063769811?docId=96531378. Retrieved 2008-01-31. ; courtesy link to full text of article
  12. ^ Loftus, E (1999). "Lost in the mall: Misrepresentations and misunderstandings" (pdf). Ethics & Behavior 9 (1): 51–60. doi:10.1207/s15327019eb0901_4. PMID 11657488. http://www.psych.umn.edu/courses/fall07/brunnquelld/psy8542/Session%2015/Loftus%20-Lost%20in%20the%20Mall%20-%20Misrepresentations%20and%20misubders.pdf. 
  13. ^ Wilson, A (2002-11-03). "War & remembrance: Controversy is a constant for memory researcher Elizabeth Loftus, newly installed at UCI". The Orange County Register. http://williamcalvin.com/2002/OrangeCtyRegister.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
  14. ^ "The FMSF Scientific and Professional Advisory Board - Profiles". http://www.fmsfonline.org/advboard.html. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
  15. ^ "Memory Expert Pressed In C.I.A. Leak Case.". Associated Press in New York Times. October 27, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/washington/27brfs-006.html. Retrieved 2008-06-06. 
  16. ^ Bocij, Paul (2004). Cyberstalking: harassment in the Internet age and how to protect your family. New York: Praeger Publishers. pp. 34. ISBN 0-275-98118-5. 
  17. ^
  18. ^ Corwin, D.; Olafson E. (1997). "Videotaped Discovery of a Reportedly Unrecallable Memory of Child Sexual Abuse: Comparison with a Childhood Interview Videotaped 11 Years Before". Child Maltreatment 2 (2): 91–112. doi:10.1177/1077559597002002001. http://cmx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/2/91. Retrieved 2008-01-09. 
  19. ^ Taus v. Loftus, 683 3d 54, 775 (Cal. 4th 2007).
  20. ^ Loftus, Elizabeth (May 2008). "Perils of Provocative Scholarship". Observer (Washington, DC: Association for Psychological Science) 21 (5): 13–15. ISSN 1050-4672. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2339. 
  21. ^ Tavris, Carol (January/February 2008). "Whatever Happened to 'Jane Doe'?". Skeptical Inquirer (Amherst, New York: Committee for Skeptical Inquiry) 32 (1): 28–30. ISSN 0194-6730. http://www.csicop.org/si/show/whatever_happened_to_jane_doe/. Retrieved 2010-02-23. 
  22. ^ Loftus, E; Geis G (2009). "Taus v. Loftus: Determining the Legal Ground Rules for Scholarly Inquiry". Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice 9 (2): 147–62. doi:10.1080/15228930802575524. 
  23. ^ http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/beyond-belief-science-religion-reason-and-survival
  24. ^ "The BPS Annual Conference Programme 2011". http://www.bps.org.uk/ac2011/programme/programme_home.cfm. Retrieved 2011-04-20. 
  25. ^ "False Memory Investigator Elizabeth Loftus Receives 2010 \Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award". AAAS. http://news.aaas.org/2011_annual_meeting/0216post-15.shtml. Retrieved 2011-02-20. 
  26. ^ Loftus, Elizabeth (May/June 2011). "We Live in Perilous Times for Science". Skeptical Inquirer (CSICOP) 35 (3): 13. 
  27. ^ "William James Fellow Award: Elizabeth Loftus, University of California, Irvine". Association for Psychological Science. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/awards/james/citations/loftus.cfm. Retrieved 2009-01-20. 
  28. ^ Travis, C (2002-07-01). "The High Cost of Skepticism". Skeptical Inquirer. http://www.csicop.org/si/show/high_cost_of_skepticism/. Retrieved 2009-01-20. 
  29. ^ "E. Loftus' Curriculum Vitae". University of California - Irvine. http://socialecology.uci.edu/sites/socialecology.uci.edu/files/cv/eloftus/vitairvinemark6-11_0.doc. Retrieved 2011-07-02. 

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

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