Elizabeth Loftus
| Elizabeth F. Loftus | |
|---|---|
Loftus in 2010
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| Born | Elizabeth Fishman October 16, 1944 (age 72) Los Angeles, Califorina, U.S. |
| Residence | California, U.S. |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Psychology and Law |
| Institutions |
University of California, Irvine University of Washington New School University National Judicial College, University of Nevada Harvard University Georgetown University Law Center |
| Alma mater |
Stanford University University of California, Los Angeles |
| Doctoral advisor | Patrick Suppes |
| Known for | Studies of human memory and their application to forensic settings |
| Notable awards |
Grawemeyer Award (2005) National Academy of Sciences (2004) Royal Society of Edinburgh (2005) |
| Spouse | Geoffrey Loftus (1968-1991; divorce) |
Elizabeth F. Loftus (born Elizabeth Fishman, October 16, 1944) is an American cognitive psychologist and expert on human memory. She has conducted extensive research on the malleability of human memory. Loftus is best known for her ground-breaking work on the misinformation effect and eyewitness memory, and the creation and nature of false memories, including recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. As well as her prolific work inside the laboratory, Loftus has been heavily involved in applying her research to legal settings; she has consulted or provided expert witness testimony for hundreds of cases. Loftus has been recognized throughout the world for her work, receiving numerous awards and honorary degrees. In 2002, Loftus was ranked 58th in the Review of General Psychology’s list of the 100 most influential psychological researchers of the 20th century, and was the highest ranked woman on the list.
Loftus grew up in Bel Air, California. Her parents were Sidney and Rebecca Fishman; her father was a doctor and her mother a librarian. When Loftus was 14 years old, her mother drowned. In 1968, Loftus married fellow psychologist Geoffrey Loftus, divorcing in 1991 but remaining friends. Loftus has no children.
Loftus received her Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and psychology with highest honors from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1966. She received her MA in 1967 and Ph.D in 1970 (both in mathematical psychology and both from Stanford University), the only woman in her cohort. Her thesis was entitled "An Analysis of the Structural Variables That Determine Problem-Solving Difficulty on a Computer-Based Teletype." Loftus took her first academic appointment in 1970 at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Her research during her time there focused on the organization of semantic information in longterm memory. However Loftus soon realized she wanted to do research with greater social relevance. Loftus attributes this realization in part to a conversation with an acquaintance to whom she was describing her findings about semantic memory, who wondered at the cost of the research compared to its value.
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