Remembering what couldn’t have been

I know my picture is on the top of this column for some reason,

but I can’t remember why.

Oh, that’s right, it was because I was lost in a shopping mall and

the Daily Pilot has plastered my face all over the paper so my

parents can find me. I was wandering near the escalator, near the pet

store, when I realized I had lost my mom. I was traumatized and

scared and remember some woman asking me if I needed help. She

alerted the authorities, and here we are.

OK. Really. I’m not going crazy. (Or should I say, “crazier.”) I

am simply giving you an example of one of the false memories that

esteemed UC Irvine professor Elizabeth Loftus has successfully

planted in the minds of willing volunteers.

Loftus, who has been appointed to the psychology and criminology

schools at UCI, has been an expert witness or consultant in hundreds

of cases involving “repressed memories,” in which a person claims to

remember something from his or her childhood that is so traumatic

that it was pushed into the subconscious.

On Thursday night, she was the honorary speaker at a Salon Night,

hosted by New Century in Irvine, and captivated her audience with her

research showing how she successfully planted vivid memories of false

invents in the mind’s of her subjects.

In her research, she was able to plant bogus recollections of

distressing events in about 25% of her adult volunteers. Loftus’

“shopping mall” study, and others that have followed, have gotten the

attention of other psychologists and have made people think twice

about what they think they remember.

She joked with her audience Thursday, saying that the rash of

“repressed memory” cases in the court should prompt judicial

officials to change the oath to, “Do you swear to tell the truth, the

whole truth or whatever it is you think you remember?”

The new UCI professor showcases not only strong scientific

evidence but the savvy and thick skin that comes along with telling

believed victims of abuse that they have been mistaken.

Her wit and sharpness add to her natural speaking ability, making

it hard to refute what is coming out of her mouth. But her intent is

not to bowl you over with facts and data to the point where you are

mercilessly converted to her way of thinking. She likes to spark

debate and discussion and likes to be challenged.

She greeted questions about her data and answered them as best she

could. She was not afraid to say, “I don’t know,” and was not afraid

to say what she thinks.

Loftus is disturbed by the recent Catholic church scandals, but

not for the reasons one might assume.

She is upset because priests are being accused of various crimes

that have been discovered through the course of hypnotherapy or some

other form of deep subconscious scouring.

Her studies have proven that, with repetitive suggestion, and with

some basis in the truth (i.e. the factual name of the hometown mall)

some people can be convinced of something that never happened. This

is especially dangerous when criminal charges are involved and the

case hinges on the accuser’s supposed memory of abuse.

Remember the McMartin preschool molestation case in Manhattan

Beach, Calif.?

Loftus was the key expert witness at that trial. She has testified

in a number of other famous cases such as the Hillside strangler, the

Abscam cases, Oliver North, the officers accused of beating Rodney

King, Michael Jackson and the Oklahoma bombings.

Loftus was No. 85 on the 2002 list of most eminent psychologists

of the 20th century and the top-ranked woman.

Her time the faculty at UCI should be memorable. And if not, she

can make it that way.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

and covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at [email protected].