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Eyewitness Testimony

With a New Preface

Elizabeth F. Loftus

$63.95

Paperback

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English
Harvard University Press
15 March 1996
Every year hundreds of defendants are convicted on little more than the say-so of a fellow citizen. Although psychologists have suspected for decades that an eyewitness can be highly unreliable, new evidence leaves no doubt that juries vastly overestimate the credibility of eyewitness accounts. It is a problem that the courts have yet to solve or face squarely.

In Eyewitness Testimony, Elizabeth Loftus makes the psychological case against the eyewitness. Beginning with the basics of eyewitness fallibility, such as poor viewing conditions, brief exposure, and stress, Loftus moves to more subtle factors, such as expectations, biases, and personal stereotypes, all of which can intervene to create erroneous reports. Loftus also shows that eyewitness memory is chronically inaccurate in surprising ways. An ingenious series of experiments reveals that memory can be radically altered by the way an eyewitness is questioned after the fact. New memories can be implanted and old ones unconsciously altered under interrogation.

These results have important implications for court reform, police interrogation methods, defense strategy, and many other aspects of criminal and civil procedure. Eyewitness Testimony is a powerful book that should be required reading for trial lawyers, social psychologists, and anyone who considers the chilling prospect of confronting an eyewitness accusation in a court of law.
By:  
Imprint:   Harvard University Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Edition:   2nd New edition
Dimensions:   Height: 235mm,  Width: 156mm,  Spine: 18mm
Weight:   381g
ISBN:   9780674287778
ISBN 10:   0674287770
Pages:   272
Publication Date:  
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  A / AS level ,  Further / Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Elizabeth F. Loftus is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California, Irvine.

Reviews for Eyewitness Testimony: With a New Preface

An important book about a critical question. New York Times Book Review Loftus is a quiet, sincere, and reliable guide to this important research and its applications. Times Higher Education Supplement


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