to a librarian and a doctor, Loftus grew up in Bel Air, California. When she was only 15 years old, her mother died unexpectedly. In 2002, she read her diary written during the period when her mother died, and she was amazed at how quickly she overcame the initial pain and began to live the life of a teenager again. Still, Loftus mourns the loss as if it happened yesterday. Any mention of her mother during interviews brings instant tears to her eyes. After graduating from high school, Loftus decided to become a math teacher and enrolled at the University of California. During her studies, a psychology class piqued her interest. Not one to quit something she started, Loftus continued her math studies but added a full spectrum of psychology classes to her academic path, earning a double major in 1966. From there, she went to Stanford University where she earned a master degree in 1967, married George Loftus in 1968 and then earned a PhD. in psychology in 1970 (University of California Loftus Vitae, none). Loftus became interested in memory during her studies at Stanford and received her first grant to study memory in 1971. In 1974, she received a grant from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to study the memories of people involved in car accidents. Though her theory that memory was malleable was in its early stages, her studies sparked what became known as the Memory Wars, so named because there was a definite battle going on between those who believed in repressed memories as a whole and Elizabeth Loftus. The studies she conducted changed her life, thrusting her into a spotlight, turning her into an expert witness during trials were a memory the only witness to a crime supposedly committed long ago. Many times, Loftus was a sole crusader for the accused.
             The focus of her DOT study was to determine the accuracy of memory during car accidents. Loftus and her partner showed the participants a film about a car accident. After the ...