Current state of ‘lost in the mall’: implications for expert witness testimony on the reliability of childhood memories

Abstract

The seminal Lost in the Mall study by Loftus and Pickrell (Citation1995) marked a pivotal shift in psychological science, reshaping how memory, and particularly false memory, is understood and researched. Over the past 30 years, it has inspired numerous replications and conceptual extensions of its methodological paradigm. Recently, a registered replication of the original study was conducted and their data were made publicly available, igniting renewed scholarly interest and debate regarding the nature, prevalence and classification of false memories. This article reviews the historical context of this body of research, synthesises key empirical findings and highlights recent studies that have once again positioned Lost in the Mall at the centre of memory science discourse. Moreover, we explore the implications of this research for legal proceedings and outline how it could be utilised in expert testimony, including the nuanced parameters that should be considered when discussing the psychological science of false memory.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-13-2025

Publication Title

Psychiatry, Psychology and Law

First Page

1

Last Page

19

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS