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Faculty

Elizabeth Loftus

PhD
Distinguished Professor
University of California, Irvine

Elizabeth Loftus, PhD is Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine. She holds positions in the Departments of Psychological Science, and also Criminology, Law & Society, and is a Professor of Law. Loftus’s research has focused on human memory, eye-witness testimony and also on courtroom procedure. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation. She was elected president of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the Western Psychological Association (twice), the American Psychology-Law Society, and the Experimental Psychology division of the Ameri- can Psychological Association (APA). Loftus has received seven honorary doctorates for her research, from universities in the United States, but also The Netherlands, Great Britain, Israel and Norway. She was elected to numerous prestigious organuizations including the National Academy of Science.

2024 Sessions

The Fiction of Memory

For several decades, Elizabeth Loftus has been manufacturing memories in unsuspecting minds. Sometimes this involves changing details of events that someone actually experienced. Other times it involves planting entire memories event events that never happened – “rich false memories.” People can be led to believe that they did things that would have been rather implausible. They can be led to falsely believe that they had experiences that would have been emotional or traumatic had they actually happened. False memories, like true ones, also have consequences for people, affecting later thoughts, intentions, and behaviors.
Can we tell true memories from false ones? In several studies, these created false memories in the minds of people, were then compared to true memories.. Once planted, the false memories look very much like true memories – in terms of behavioral characteristics, emotionality and neural signatures. If false memories can be so readily planted in the mind, do we need to think about “regulating” this mind technology? And what do these pseudomemories say about the nature of memory itself?

Discussant

Speaker

Thursday, December 10 2:30–4:00 PM
Great Conversation
Faculty

Michael Yapko

PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Private Practice

Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist residing near San Diego, California. He is internationally recognized for his innovative work in applying clinical hypnosis in outcome-focused strategic psychotherapy, especially in the active, non-pharmacological treatment of depression. He has been invited to present his innovative ideas and methods to colleagues in more than 30 countries across six continents, as well as throughout the United States. He is a critic of the medical model of depression and instead advocates for a social perspective, suggesting the problem is less about neurochemistry and more about circumstances and perspectives in how you manage them. His highly practical YouTube lecture on How to Recover from Depression has been viewed more than 5.2 million times.

Dr. Yapko is the author of 16 books, including the new 6th edition of his classic hypnosis text Trancework, his award-winning book for professionals, Process-Oriented Hypnosis, and his popular books for a general audience, Depression is Contagious and Breaking the Patterns of Depression. His works have been translated into 10 languages. He is also the developer of the popular digital hypnotherapy mental health app called Claria in association with Mindset Health (www.mindsethealth.com). More information about Dr. Yapko is available on his website: www.yapko.com.

On the personal side, Dr. Yapko is happily married to his wife, Diane, a pediatric speech-language pathologist. Together, they enjoy hiking in the great outdoors in their spare time.

Faculty

Elizabeth Loftus

PhD
Distinguished Professor
University of California, Irvine

Elizabeth Loftus, PhD is Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine. She holds positions in the Departments of Psychological Science, and also Criminology, Law & Society, and is a Professor of Law. Loftus’s research has focused on human memory, eye-witness testimony and also on courtroom procedure. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation. She was elected president of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the Western Psychological Association (twice), the American Psychology-Law Society, and the Experimental Psychology division of the Ameri- can Psychological Association (APA). Loftus has received seven honorary doctorates for her research, from universities in the United States, but also The Netherlands, Great Britain, Israel and Norway. She was elected to numerous prestigious organuizations including the National Academy of Science.

Is the Repressed Memory Controversy Still Controversial?

The so-called "repressed memory controversy" gave rise to some of the most polarizing debates in the history of psychotherapy. Was anything resolved? What have we learned about the complex interplay between trauma, memory, and suggestibility? Two experts who each played important roles in shaping the conversation about the salient issues will share their experiences and insights about the complex issues associated with the "memory wars."

Speaker

Friday, December 03 1:30–2:30 PM
Great Conversation
Faculty

Elizabeth Loftus

PhD
Distinguished Professor
University of California, Irvine

Elizabeth Loftus, PhD is Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine. She holds positions in the Departments of Psychological Science, and also Criminology, Law & Society, and is a Professor of Law. Loftus’s research has focused on human memory, eye-witness testimony and also on courtroom procedure. Her work has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation. She was elected president of the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the Western Psychological Association (twice), the American Psychology-Law Society, and the Experimental Psychology division of the Ameri- can Psychological Association (APA). Loftus has received seven honorary doctorates for her research, from universities in the United States, but also The Netherlands, Great Britain, Israel and Norway. She was elected to numerous prestigious organuizations including the National Academy of Science.

Faculty

Michael Yapko

PhD
Clinical Psychologist
Private Practice

Michael D. Yapko, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist residing near San Diego, California. He is internationally recognized for his innovative work in applying clinical hypnosis in outcome-focused strategic psychotherapy, especially in the active, non-pharmacological treatment of depression. He has been invited to present his innovative ideas and methods to colleagues in more than 30 countries across six continents, as well as throughout the United States. He is a critic of the medical model of depression and instead advocates for a social perspective, suggesting the problem is less about neurochemistry and more about circumstances and perspectives in how you manage them. His highly practical YouTube lecture on How to Recover from Depression has been viewed more than 5.2 million times.

Dr. Yapko is the author of 16 books, including the new 6th edition of his classic hypnosis text Trancework, his award-winning book for professionals, Process-Oriented Hypnosis, and his popular books for a general audience, Depression is Contagious and Breaking the Patterns of Depression. His works have been translated into 10 languages. He is also the developer of the popular digital hypnotherapy mental health app called Claria in association with Mindset Health (www.mindsethealth.com). More information about Dr. Yapko is available on his website: www.yapko.com.

On the personal side, Dr. Yapko is happily married to his wife, Diane, a pediatric speech-language pathologist. Together, they enjoy hiking in the great outdoors in their spare time.
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