Elizabeth Loftus

American cognitive psychologist · United States · On the map · Academics · Born 1944 · age 82

Elizabeth F. Loftus is an American psychologist who is best known in relation to the misinformation effect, false memory and criticism of recovered memory therapies.

Elizabeth Loftus is read about 203 times a day, in 34 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

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A life in dates

2016Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAwardIsaac Asimov Science AwardAwardJohn Maddox PrizeAward2013“Even if it's going to be a harmful memory, they don't want to let it go. (This is) why sometimes I get such resistance to the work I do.”In their wordsTrust your memory? Maybe you shouldn't (05/18/2013)Read the whole statement

“Memory works like a Wikipedia page: You can go in there and change it, but so can other people.”In their wordsJune 2013How reliable is your memory? June 2013Read the whole statement

“Therapists probably can't ethically do it, and they may have anti-deception provisions in their standards of conduct.”In their wordsI could have sworn...Why you can’t trust your memory (8/21/2013)Read the whole statement

2012William T. Rossiter AwardAward2010“I collaborated on a brain imaging study in 2010, and the overwhelming conclusion we reached is that the neural patterns were very similar for true and false memories.”In their wordsI could have sworn...Why you can’t trust your memory (8/21/2013)Read the whole statement

AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and ResponsibilityAwardHoward Crosby Warren MedalAward2005Fellow of the Royal Society of EdinburghAwardGrawemeyer AwardsAward2003APA Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of PsychologyAward2001William James Fellow AwardAward1997James McKeen Cattell Fellow AwardAward1990Honorary doctor of Leiden UniversityAward1979“In real life, as well as in experiments, people can come to believe things that never really happened.”In their wordsp. 62Read the whole statement

“To be cautious, one should not take high confidence as any absolute guarantee of anything.”In their wordsp. 101Read the whole statement

1944Born16 October 1944

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Elizabeth Loftus

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Former spouse Geoffrey Loftus

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Elizabeth Loftus

4 statements, newest first

Which would you rather have? A kid with obesity, heart problems, shortened lifespan, diabetes -- or maybe a little bit of false memory?
2013 · Trust your memory? Maybe you shouldn't (05/18/2013), Own words
It is possible not to think about something for a long time, even something unpleasant that happened to you.
2013 · I could have sworn...Why you can’t trust your memory (8/21/2013), Own words
The results were clear: the new environment inhibited recognition.
1979 · p. 90, Own words