Forensics Chpt 1

Forensic science

use of science to resolve legal matters such as crimes, involves:

Collecting and examining physical evidence

Reporting results to law enforcement

Testifying in court

Steps of Forensic Science

observe, interpret, report

First step of solving

observing and collecting unbiased evidence

Forensic Science requires

good communication

Forensic scientists and police

observe and analyze

Analytical skills

identify a concept or problem

Isolate component parts

Organize information for decision making

Establish criteria for evaluation

Draw appropriate conclusions

Deductive reasoning

deriving a conclusion from facts using a series of logical steps.

Hypothesis

theory

Claim Evidence Reasoning Model

involves making observations, determining a question, making a claim based on evidence, providing evidence, and providing reasoning or justification.

Paul Ekman

1967 discovers humans are capable of >10,000 facial microexpressions with 3,000 relevant to emotion and nonverbal communication

Elizabeth Loftus

1974 explained how misinformation can lead to false memories.

Scott Fraser

2012 described the fallibility of memory reconstruction.

Pamela Meyer

2014 published a work on how to detect lying.

2016

interrogation techniques modified for eyewitnesses and suspects

Observation

what a person perceives using their senses.

Perception

the brain's interpretation of sensory information.

Limitations of perception

Brains fill in missing information, Missing word in a sentence, Short-term memory is not stored forever

Brain's survival mechanisms

filter information, fill in gaps, and apply previous knowledge to new situations for survival.

Observation skills

can be improved by understanding the limitations of perception.

Qualitative

subjective and descriptive data, such as color or shape.

Quantitative

objective and numerical data that is measured, such as weight or height.

Anna Meng

assaulted in apartment

Julius Earl Ruffin

accused of assaulting Anna Meng

Cause of Ruffins false arrest

DNA testing in early stages, not 100% conclusive

Mistaken eyewitness identifications

>75% of the 200+ wrongful convictions in US

Eyewitness

person who has seen someone or something related to a crime and can communicate their observations

Fact

statement or information that can be verified

Opinion

personal belief founded on judgement rather than experience or knowledge

Eyewitness accounts

help reconstruct events into logical pattern