Chapter One - Observation Skills (Forensic Science)

A forensic examiner must be able to..

(CARD in reverse alphabetical order) Recognize: find and identify the evidence. Document: record the evidence. Collect: properly store evidence. Interpret/Analysis: determine the significance of the evidence.

How your brain interprets information:

- Selective filtering: our brains select what information is most likely important. - Filling in the gaps: our brains look for patterns and connections that may not be accurate. - Applies previous knowledge.

The Innocence Project:

- Started in 1992. - Using DNA to examine post-conviction cases. - By Barry Scheck + Peter Neufeld at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. - The project has found that up to 87% of the wrongful convictions they discovered were due to faulty eyewitness identifications.

Eyewitness accounts:

- Vary from person to person. - Crime-scene reports often vary, due to: 1. Interest and attention level. 2. Stress. 3. Amount and kind of distractions present. 4. Prejudices and personal beliefs. 5. Motives. 6. Any lapse in time since the event. - Understanding our limitations helps us improve our observational skills.

Diagram of brain processing:

1. Information from the senses. 2. What we pay attention to. 3. Perception - interpretation of information received from senses. 4. Short-term memory. 5. Long-term memory.

How to be a good observer:

1. Observe systematically. - Start at one part of a crime scene and run your eyes slowly over every piece. - Look at every part of a piece of evidence. - Do not assume that later on you will be able to remember everything.

A witness's observation can be affected by:

1. Their emotional states. 2. Whether they were alone, part of a group, or near others. 3. What type of and how much activity was going on around them.

How to be a good observer (2):

2. Turn off filters. - Do not pay attention to only what you think is important. - At a crime scene you will not know what will turn out to be important. - Make a conscious effort to pay attention to all the details in your surroundings.

How to be a good observer (3):

3. Leave the final interpretation of data until later. - Look for patterns and make connections. - More information yields better interpretations. - Prejudices exist everywhere (eyewitness accounts, your own thinking processes).

What skills are important for a crime scene investigator to possess in order to observe, interpret, and report observations clearly?

Analytic skills and deductive reasoning.

What types of skills are used by forensic scientists and policemen?

Analytical skills and deductive reasoning.

How to be a good observer (4):

Documentation, Documentation, Documentation. - Write down and photograph. - Keep in mind that memory is faulty. - Remember that our brain tends to automatically fill in gaps in our perceptions. How can you document the evidence? - Take pictures. - Write. - Make drawings.

During a criminal investigation, observation skills of all parties are involved. Who does this include?

Eyewitnesses, police, forensic scientists.

Good observation skills come naturally to investigators; they do not need to be trained.

False.

If we remember seeing something happen, we can trust that it happened just as we think it did.

False.

The Innocence Project is an organization that seeks to get convicted killers out of prison.

False.

Examples of the different fields in forensics:

Forensic Pathology: autopsies the body and determines the cause of death. Forensic Serology: studies blood. Toxicology: studies drugs and poisons. Forensic Anthropologist: study of human bones and remains. Botanist: studies plant life. Entomologist: studies insects.

What does the term forensic mean?

Forensic is Latin for forensis, forum. It is the application of science to the law.

Our state of mind affects how we observe our surroundings. What mental state is the best for observing?

Nervous.

The forensic scientist has many duties. Which of these is not a job for a forensic scientist?

Question a suspect.

When making observations at the crime scene:

RDAC.

Most wrongful convictions seem to be the result of faulty eyewitness testimony.

True.

The word forensic refers to the application of scientific knowledge to legal questions.

True.

Why is knowing the shortcomings of eyewitness accounts important?

Understanding our limitations helps us improve our deduction skills + become more skeptical about eyewitness accounts.

What is deductive reasoning?

Using logical reasoning to come to a conclusion.

A forensic scientist is called to court of law to provide..

fact.

The Innocence Project found that most faulty convictions were based on Obj. 1.2 and..

inaccurate eyewitness accounts.

Observation:

information from our senses.

Perception:

interpreting information received from our senses.

Which emotional state makes the best observations:

nervous.

All of the following are ways to improve our observational skills except..

when collecting evidence, record only those things that you are sure are important.