Elizabeth Loftus: podcast appearances and interviews

Elizabeth F. Loftus, born in 1944, is an American psychologist affiliated with the University of California, Irvine. She is widely recognized for her work on the misinformation effect, false memories, and criticisms of recovered memory therapies. Loftus's research explores how the phrasing of questions can influence perceptions, such as in the case of automobile crash descriptions, and investigates the creation of false memories including techniques like the 'lost in the mall' method and the manipulation of food preferences. Her work has also involved examining the background and validity of research in the field, notably through her involvement in the Jane Doe case starting in 1997, where she and Melvin J. Guyer expressed concerns about initial research findings. Beyond her scientific research, Loftus has served on the executive council of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and has been a keynote speaker at professional conferences such as the British Psychological Society's annual meeting. She has also applied her expertise in legal contexts, providing expert testimony or consultation in more than 300 court cases involving prominent figures including Ghislaine Maxwell, Harvey Weinstein, Ted Bundy, O. J. Simpson, Angelo Buono, and Robert Durst. In addition to her research and legal work, Loftus has authored several books, including The Myth of Repressed Memory: False Memories & Allegations of Sexual Abuse and Witness for the Defense.