Forensics Unit 1 Test Observation, Deductive Reasoning, Eye Witness & Anthropometry

Perception

the ability to become aware of something through the senses.

Observation

Information obtained through the senses.

Fact

A statement that can be proved.

Opinion

A belief or view about something

eyewitness

a person who sees an occurrence with his own eyes and is able to give a firsthand account of it

deductive reasoning

reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.)

Forensics

using science to solve crimes/legal matters

Bertillon

Father of Anthropometry, Used body measurements to identify criminals before fingerprinting was established

Locard

Principle that states "with contact between two items, there will be an exchange"

analytical skills

the ability to identify relevant issues, recognize their importance, understand the relationships between them, and perceive the underlying causes of a situation

Logic

science of distinguishing truth from false reasoning

frontal lobe

associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving

temporal lobe

responsible for hearing and language, memory

parietal lobe

associated with movement, orientation, recognition,

perception of stimuli

occipital lobe

processes visual information

police interview techniques

1. separate witnesses

2. help witnesses reconstruct events

3. provide minimal guidance

4. avoid interjecting bias

5. ask questions to draw out details

6. document everything

How to tell truth vs lie

1. ask interviewee to repeat story multiple times.

2. tell events in reverse order

3. interrupt their train of thought with questions

CSI effect

the influence that crime shows such as CSI have on the public's perception of forensic science. Audiences expect unrealistic amounts of evidence to be present for every case.

First step of a forensic investigation

observation

Innocence Project

a non-profit legal organization that is committed to exonerating wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing and to reforming the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER)

make observations, determine the question, make a claim, provide evidence, and provide reasoning

Claim- statement or conclusion that answers the original question or problem

Evidence- scientific data that supports the claim

Reasoning- explanation of how the evidence supports the claim

estimator variables

Variables that are present at the time of the crime and that cannot be changed

system variables

Factors that can be controlled by the legal system. Most commonly used in eyewitness identification research (e.g., lineup procedures).

Perception of Memory

Most people perceive their memories like a video

Role of Forensic Scientist

-Help determine if a crime has been committed

-Supply reports of evidence findings to authorities

-Act as an expert witness

~Evaluate evidence

~Offer opinion of significance

-Can act for either prosecution or defense

Civil Law

Law that deals with relationships between people regarding property, marriage, wills, etc

Criminal Law

Deals with regulating and enforcing rights of someone, usually the state vs. someone • Misdemeanor: minor crime (ex. Small possession, minor assault) • Felony: major crime (ex. Rape, murder, armed robbery)

double jeopardy

Trial or punishment for the same crime by the same government; forbidden by the Constitution.

What does 'quantitative' mean?

Relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality.

What type of report is a toxicology report?

Quantitative

What type of report is a DNA report?

Quantitative

Qualitative

descriptive data, cal also show the presence or absence of something

• determine type of fiber

• if red substance at the crime scene is blood or not

This author popularized detective novels using reason, logic, and deductive reasoning, to solve crimes years before science was actually proven to be accurate.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The _____ were one of the first civilizations to embalm the dead, remove and

examine human internal organs, and perform autopsies.

Egyptians

The first recorded autopsy was performed on:

Julius Cesar

Forensics starts

at the crime scene

What is a possible solution for the problems of bias that are associated with blind administration in line ups?

make sure the officer administering the lineup is unaware who the suspect is

What finally occurred that convinced courts to use fingerprints instead of

Anthropometry?

Will West Incident