Witness for the Defense - by Elizabeth Loftus & Katherine Ketcham (Paperback)
About this item
Highlights
- "The study of memory had become my specialty, my passion.
- About the Author: Elizabeth Loftus is a professor of psychology and adjunct professor of law at the University of Washington in Seattle.
- 312 Pages
- Political Science, Law Enforcement
Description
Book Synopsis
"The study of memory had become my specialty, my passion. In the next few years I wrote dozens of papers about how memory works and how it fails, but unlike most researchers studying memory, my work kept reaching out into the real world. To what extent, I wondered, could a person's memory be shaped by suggestion? When people witness a serious automobile accident, how accurate is their recollection of the facts? If a witness is questioned by a police officer, will the manner of questioning alter the representation of the memory? Can memories be supplemented with additional, false information?"
The "passion" Loftus describes in the lines above led her to a teaching career at the University of Washington and, perhaps more importantly, into hundreds of courtrooms as an expert witness on the fallibility of eyewitness accounts. As she has explained in numerous trials, and as she convincingly argues in this absorbing book, eyewitness accounts can be and often are so distorted that they no longer resemble the truth.From the Back Cover
Witness for the Defense is a collection of true stories based on Dr. Elizabeth Loftus's personal experiences as an expert witness. It is our goal to use these real-life courtroom dramas as a vehicle for conveying information about psychology in general and memory in particular.Review Quotes
"Witness for the Defense is an important book." --The New York Times
"An intriguing and disturbing work in which forensic psychologist Loftus, a specialist on memory, examines the fallibility of eyewitness testimony in criminal cases . . . A fascinating examination of human memory, with troubling implications for the American criminal-justice system." --Kirkus Reviews "Highly recommended for the general public and scholars interested in whether justice is served in the criminal justice system." --Library JournalAbout the Author
Elizabeth Loftus is a professor of psychology and adjunct professor of law at the University of Washington in Seattle. She has published over 250 journal articles and 18 books, including The Myth of Repressed Memory; and Witness for the Defense. Loftus has served as president of the Western Psychological Association and has fulfilled leadership roles in numerous other organizations such as the American Psychological Association, Society of Experimental Psychologists, and American Psychological Society.
Katherine Ketcham is the co-author of Under the Influence, The Spirituality of Imperfection, Beyond the Influence, The Power of Empathy, and other books.
