Chapter 1Observation Skills

Chapter Outline

Role of Forensic Scientist

• Identify evidence• Record evidence• Determine significance of evidence• ALL evidence without making judgment about its importance• EVIDENCE MUST STAND AS FACT

What is observation?

• 5 senses• Brain unconsciously filters what is judges to be unimportant based on

environment and emotion• Perception = what we pay attention to; NOT ALWAYS ACCURATE• Brains unconsciously looks for patterns and fills in missing info• Brain unconsciously applies past knowledge and experience• Brain must be trained for accurate observation

Observations• Accuracy of an eyewitness observation is affected by• Emotion• Alone vs group of people• Number of people / animals present• Type of activity around you• How much activity around you

Criminal investigations depend on observations by• Police investigators• Eyewitnesses• Forensic scientists

The Innocence Project• 1992 by Barry C. Schenk and Peter J. Neufeld at Benjamin N. Cardozo

School of Law• Re examined convicted cases • Used DNA evidence to provide conclusive proof of innocence• Found more than 200 wrongful convictions• 87% were due to inaccurate eyewitness accounts

• Fact = only what you actually saw; EVIDENCE MUST STAND AS FACT• Opinion = personal beliefMUST BE ABLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO

How to be a good observer

• Examine the scene systematically; lay it out like a grid• Ex.) from one corner, back and forth, to the opposite corner

• Turn off your unconscious filters.• Observe EVERYTHING no matter how small, familiar, emotional

• Do not interpret yet.• Collect ALL evidence first then look for patterns and draw logical conclusions

• Write down and photograph everything; remember that our memory is faulty

Observations in Forensics

• The word “forensics” comes from the Latin word “forensic”• Means in the forum, a place to discuss and debate

• Discussing and debating is NOT forensic SCIENCE• Forensic SCIENTISTS collect, examine, report physical evidence

What forensic scientists do

• Identify Evidence: Observation; specialize in one area• Ballistics = firearms and bullets• Pathologist = examines tissue to determine death

• Record Evidence: PROPER DOCUMENTATION• verbal testimony not enough

• Analytical Skills – patience and practice• Isolate parts of a problem• Organize information

What does Sherlock Holmes have to do with Forensic Science?Read page 9. Use vocab to answer this question. Box in each vocab term that you use.

Paul Ekman

• Read page 12. Write 10 facts about Paul Ekman’s work. Use a bulleted list.

Related Areas of Science for Chapter 1• Biology DNA, genetic code

• Psychology Brain processing of informationUsing the five senses to make observations

Timeline for Chapter 1

• 40 BCE – 410 CE Forum in ancient Rome

• 1887 First Sherlock Holmes mystery published

• 1950’s Paul Ekman begins his research• 1992 Innocence Project