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The '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Misinformation_effect misinformation effect]''' refers to the finding that exposure to misleading information presented between the encoding of an event and its subsequent recall causes impairment in memory.<ref> Loftus, E. (2005). "Planting misinformation in the human mind: A 30-year investigation of the malleability of memory". Learning & Memory 12 (4): 361–366.</ref><ref> Robinson-Riegler, B., & Robinson-Riegler, G. (2004). Cognitive Psychology, Applying the Science of the Mind. Allyn & Bacon. p. 313.</ref> This effect occurs when participants' recall of an event they witnessed is altered by introducing misleading ''postevent information''.<ref> Weiten, W (2010). Psychology themes and variations. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. p. 292.</ref> It is a prime example of [[retroactive interference]], which occurs when information presented later interferes with the ability to retain previously encoded information. Essentially, the new information that a person receives works backward in time to distort memory of the original event.<ref name="Textbook"/> The misinformation effect has been studied for over 30 years. Elizabeth Loftus is one of the most influential researchers in the field.