What she had to say was perhaps a little scary, though, in its implications about how profoundly untrustworthy our memories can be. Loftus started with an example from the trial of Klaus von Bulow, accused of trying to kill his heiress wife. She said Maria recalled finding a black bag in a closet, looking inside and seeing a bottle of insulin. But Alan Dershowitz, the famed Harvard Law professor who has represented many high-profile defendants, handled von Bulow's appeal. Dershowitz discovered that Maria's initial statement when questioned after Sunny von Bulow went into a coma was that she didn't know the bottle's contents because the label had been scraped off, Loftus said.
Human memory is malleable.
Not only do people incorrectly remember the details of events they've witnessed, but it's pretty easy to make them believe they've seen things they haven't, Loftus said her research has shown. Although a question may sound like it was designed to elicit information, it can also subtly deliver information to a witness, she said. It is very easy to alter or contaminate a witness' memory, Loftus concluded. Sometimes after a talk, people will tell her that the information she shares is dangerous, Loftus said. She asked if anyone in the room felt that way.