How Reliable Is Your Memory?

Distinguished Speaker--Loftus
Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D.

Just how reliable is the human memory? That’s a question noted psychologist Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D., has studied for the past 30 years. On Thursday, Feb. 9, the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences will welcome Loftus to NSU as part of its Distinguished Speakers Series. Loftus will present a talk titled “Memory Under the Influence.” The event—which is free and open to NSU students, faculty, and staff members—is hosted by the college’s Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Having focused her research on the malleability of human memory, Loftus has been recognized for her work with six honorary doctorates and election to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the American Philosophical Society, and the National Academy of Sciences. She is past president of the Association for Psychological Science, the Western Psychological Association, and the American Psychology-Law Society.

Loftus has contributed her expertise to hundreds of cases, including those of the Hillside Strangler; Abscam; Oliver North; the Menendez brothers; the Oklahoma City bombing; the trial of the officers accused in the Rodney King beating; accusations of molestation at McMartin Preschool; Bosnian War trials in the Hague; and litigation involving Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart, Scooter Libby, and the Duke University lacrosse players.

A distinguished professor at the University of California—Irvine, Loftus holds faculty positions in three departments (Psychology and Social Behavior; Criminology, Law, and Society; and Cognitive Sciences), and in the School of Law. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University. She has published 22 books (including the award-winning Eyewitness Testimony) and more than 500 scientific articles. In 2002, Loftus was 58th in a list of the 100 most-influential researchers in psychology in the 20th Century and the highest-ranked woman on the list.

Loftus will speak at 7:00 p.m., in the Miniaci Performing Arts Center. Tickets are required for admission. Beginning Monday, Jan. 23, tickets will be available to Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences students, faculty, and staff members. On Monday, Jan. 30, tickets will become available to all NSU students, faculty, and staff members. Pick up tickets in the college’s Office of the Dean, located in the Mailman-Hollywood Building, second floor. Limit two (2) tickets per person. An NSU ID is required to obtain tickets.

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