Annual Lecture with Professor Elizabeth Loftus

27 August 2019

Last night, at the Research School of Psychology Annual Lecture, Professor Elizabeth Loftus thrilled the audience at a packed Llewelyn Hall with her talk about 'The Fiction of Memory'.

The event began with a private reception during which students and staff presented posters of their research to other staff, students, visitors and family members. The reception also gave staff and students an exciting opportunity to mingle with Professor Loftus.

Professor Loftus was presented with the Inaugral Lifetime Achievement Award from the Research School of Psychology to recognise her extraordinary career: spanning nearly 50 years, Professor Loftus has written 23 books and published over 500 scientific articles on the malleability of human memory, eyewitness testimony, and courtroom procedure. She has been awarded many of the highest honours in the field of psychological science and has been elected president of the major international associations in psychology, including the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the American Psychology-Law Society, and the Experimental Psychology division of the American Psychological Association (APA). In broader recognition of her research, Loftus has also been elected to prestigious societies around the world, including the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the American Philosophical Society.

In the public lecture that followed, given to a sold out venue, Professor Loftus traversed the science of human memory, its malleability, and consequences for the criminal justice system and beyond.

The pubic lecture was recorded and can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9tlRQagO9w&feature=youtu.be

Distinguished Professor Elizabeth Loftus has spent her career uncovering the malleability of human memory. From eyewitness accounts to our own treasured autobiographical memories-Loftus' pioneering research has shown that memory can be full of fiction. Ranked as one of the top 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century, her research has changed criminal justice systems around the world and shaped the way psychologists, lawyers, and the general public think about human memory.

For more on the career of Distinguished Professor Loftus see the Nature profile on Loftus here: https://www.nature.com/news/evidence-based-justice-corrupted-memory-1.13543