Friday, April 29, 2005

Minds Matter Over Easy . . .Elizabeth F. Loftus

And thsus, damn, I forgot . . .
Elizabeth F. Loftus: "
Elizabeth F. Loftus
Elizabeth F. Loftus was born in 1944 in Los Angeles. Her mother was a librarian and her father a doctor. Her interests include both mathematics and psychology, which helps to explain her double major at the University of California at Los Angeles. Then she went on to obtain a Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University in 1970.
Loftus's early research centered on learning and problem solving with computers. Eventually, she became interested in how human memory functions and coauthored several books on memory. She wanted to become involved in more socially relevant kinds of research and got her chance in 1974 with a grant to study the effects of leading questions on witnesses' memory of traffic accidents.
In her 1979 book, Eyewitness Testimony (which won a 1980 National Media Award, Distinguished Contribution), she described her theory of how perceptions can modify human memory. Leading questions can have a permanent effect on the memory of a witness. This research helped her to become one of the nation's leading legal consultants in the area of eyewitness testimony in trials.
Elizabeth Loftus is professor of psychology at the University of Washington. She has written several books with her husband, Geoffrey Loftus. Her interests continue to focus on understanding how human memory is shaped by perception and experience.

To find out more about Elizabeth F. Loftus and her work,
Connect to these sites:
Elizabeth Loftus Psych Today interview
APA Office of Public Affairs provides information on repressed memories and how to treat them"

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