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Elizabeth Loftus

by Miranda from Mission Viejo

"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel J. Boorstin

131999Elizabeth Loftus at The Amazing Meeting 9BDEngler [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]Elizabeth Loftus, a well-known and successful professor in psychology, criminology and mathematics at the University of California, Irvine began with one career direction and ended up going in three. Although I am only a freshman in high school I know I need to figure out what to do with my life eventually so looking for a personal career hero makes sense. Although I am interested in psychology, I don't exactly know anyone in the field so I looked up influential psychologists and Loftus' story and accomplishments immediately grabbed my attention. I like how she isn't a household name, but her studies on the mind and memory are very respected. I am interested in all three of the subjects she pursues.

There are many different specialties within the psychology field, but all share the fundamental task of studying cognitive, emotional, and social processes and human behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people relate to one another and their environments. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook website, practicing psychologists must have at least a doctoral degree although some specialty jobs require a masters degree and a certificate or license is needed to practice. The 2012 salary on average is $69,280. The job outlook employment of psychologist is expected to grow 12% from 2012-2022, about average and the best way to get a job would be to have a doctoral degree or specialty degree in psychology. A few similar jobs are a market research analyst, anthropologist, archaeologist, mental health counselor, or marriage and family therapist

According to Muskingum.edu,when Elizabeth Loftus was fourteen she lost her mother to a drowning accident. She then carried on and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and psychology. Then she received her MA in 1967 and Ph.D in 1970 both were in mathematics and psychology and both from Stanford University. She carried on into her own research which I admire. She did her time in school and then moved into her field slowly even though her childhood wasn't exactly ideal. Elizabeth has received many awards which include; 1995 - Distinguished Contribution Award from the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, 2003 - Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2005 - Lauds and Laurels Faculty Achievement Award, University of California, Irvine, 2009 - Distinguished Contributions to Psychology and Law Award from the American Psychology-Law Society, 2010 - Warren Medal from the Society of Experimental Psychologists, and many more. Her interest in these fields made her passionate about her career which would later show in her amazing work. She is now doing her own studies, she has many published books about her discoveries on the mind.

Elizabeth Loftus is not what I would consider famous, but has left her mark with her ground breaking works and contributions in fields of cognitive psychology and human memory. Her contributions also help her in the courtroom, she discovered that memory is amazingly delicate and imaginative which led to her works on malleability of the brain. She has found that that memory isn't the most resourceful thing we humans have. The discovery that other people can change your memory has helped her demonstrate that courtroom witnesses can provide a faulty testimony or have seen things that didn't actually happen. Understanding how the mind works and what it actually sees helps determine whether someone is lying, dramatizing, etc. Loftus has written many books like; The Myth of Repressed Memory-1994, Eyewitness Testimony- 1979, Human Memory-1976, Essence of Statistics- 1982 and many more all of which you can learn about on Washington State University faculty website. She shares her experiences and studies letting the community get a look into her job. I feel if someone is interested in the legal or psychology fields would benefit greatly from the insights shared in these books.

While the extensive education and work Elizabeth Loftus has accomplished to achieve her present position seems formidable, I think it is exciting and am inspired to follow a similar path.In high school I wish to take the two offered psychology related courses, continue getting excellent grades and participating in things I enjoy and that will benefit me later. I want to get an internship or a part time job in a psychologist's office. I have always had my eye on California State University, Fullerton or the University of California, Irvine, they are both great schools, but I am keeping my options open. Elizabeth Loftus did what she wanted and stayed in multiple fields which is ambitious for just one person. She inspires me because she has made significant contributions to psychology, law and teaching with out being a fancy celebrity. She is quiet, but powerful, force for good.

Page created on 6/5/2015 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/2/2019 6:54:47 PM

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Related Links

Wikipedia - Basic info on Loftus
about education - Some more extensive info
Study.com - Description of psychology and wages