Chapter 1 Observation Skills

Learning Targets for Chapter 1 define observation and describe what changes occur in the brain describe examples of factors influencing eyewitness accounts of events compare the reliability of eyewitness testimony with what actually happened relate observation skills to their use in forensic science define forensic science practice and improve your observation skills

1. What does the term forensic mean? Forensic is Latin for FORUM. It is the application of science to the law.

The word forensic comes from the Latin adjective forensis, meaning "of or before the forum". In Roman times, a criminal charge meant presenting the case before a group of public individuals in the forum. Both the person accused of the crime and the accuser would give speeches based on their side of the story. The individual with the best argument and delivery would determine the outcome of the case. From Wikipedia

The first recorded case ever solved using forensic evidence took place in during . . China 13th Century

2. A forensic examiner must be able to: a. Find – Identify the evidence. b. Document – record the evidence c. Interpret – accurately determine the significance of the of the evidence.

Study of Diseases Forensic Pathology 3. Examples of the different fields in forensic: Forensic Pathology Study of Diseases

a. Forensic serology: Study of blood.

Study of drugs and poisons. b. Toxicology: Study of drugs and poisons.

c. Forensic anthropologist: Study of human bones.

d. Botanist: Study of plant life

e. Entomologist: Study of insects

Autopsies the body and determines the cause of death. f. Pathologist: Autopsies the body and determines the cause of death.

4. Observation is what a person perceives using his or her senses.

Your five senses include: Sight, Taste, Smell , Hearing, Touch.

Learning to See Directions: In the following activity we will be observing three pictures for 15 seconds each and then answering questions about each picture. Please have a piece of paper and a pencil/pen out for this activity. The following 6 slides are activity 1-1 in power point form. Each slide in timed so that you can advance through the slides without having to time the material. Student are to have their own sheet of paper out and be answering the questions when prompted. Each picture will be up for approximately 15 seconds and then they will have 3 minutes to answer the questions to the best of their knowledge. After each timed slide is an untimed slide that brings the picture back up for discussion.

Please answer the following questions for photograph 1 At what location was the photograph taken? How many cars are pictured? What color are the cars? What types of offices are located in the building? How many small trees are in the picture? The photograph was taken in New York State during which season? How many people are in the photograph? Picture 1

Lets discuss our answers!

Please answer the following questions for photograph 2 What is pictured in Photograph 2? Describe the shape of the object pictured. What are the colors of the object? What color edged the top of the object? Upon what is the object displayed? Describe or sketch the design on the object. What is the approximate size of the object? Picture 2

Lets discuss our answers!

Please answer the following questions for photograph 3 How many people are in Photograph 3? What is the sex of the person in the picture? What is the approximate age of the person in the photograph? What color is the person’s hair? Does the person have long hair or short hair? Does the person have any distinguishing features? Glasses? Can you describe the person’s clothing? Is the person wearing any jewelry? If so, describe it. Can you describe where the picture was taken? Based on evidence in the photograph, can you form a hypothesis about the person’s occupation? Is it possible to identify the interests of the person based on evidence in the room? Picture 3

Lets discuss our answers!

5. What affects your observation skills? 1. Make of car? 2. What was the choir wearing? 3. What type of truck was in the clip? 4. Type or color of dog? 5. Songbook’s color? 5 senses are delayed so that students can offer them as answers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIaK8q5HT7k

a. Your state of mind Nervous Relaxed Under what mental state you think that you would make the best observations? Why? Happy 5 senses are delayed so that students can offer them as answers. Sad

Three observation tests. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGcoQjQEP_c Have a pencil and paper handy to answer questions after each observation. Here we can insert or watch the basketball video where students are passing the basketball.

Since we are gathering information all the time largely without thinking and our brains cannot pay attention to everything at once.

6. Factors that influence what we see include: Our brains select what information is most likely important. Environmental factors. Our perception. (Interpreting information from our senses.)

Understanding Perception 7. What is Perception? Interpreting information received from the senses Skills which is key!

Interpreting information received from the senses. 8. Observation is: Interpreting information received from the senses.

Our perception is limited and easily skewed by our brain working against us to: Filter information out Fill in gaps in our memory Apply our previous knowledge to new situations

Our brains fill in gaps in our perception. Why? In our Observations: Our brains fill in gaps in our perception. Why? In order to make sense of what we perceive, our brains often enrich with detail what we see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. After an event, we can believe things were part of the background even though they were not.

Understanding our limitations helps us improve our observational skills.

What assumptions can you make about this scene? In Observation: Our brains apply previous knowledge to new situations. What assumptions can you make about this scene? How might those assumptions be wrong?

Information from our senses What we pay attention to Short–term memory Perception Long-term memory

Witnesses observation can be affected by: 9. Witnesses observation can be affected by: Their emotional states.

Witnesses observation can be affected by: a. Whether they were alone, part of a group, or whether others were in the area.

Witnesses observation can be affected by: b. What type of and how much activity was going on around them.

Vary from person to person. Eyewitness Accounts Vary from person to person.

Eyewitness Accounts Observations depend on the level of interest, stress, concentration, and the amount and kind of distractions present.

Eyewitness Accounts Prejudices, personal beliefs, motives, and any lapse in time since the occurrence.

10. 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.

11. How to be a Good Observer a. Observe systematically— Start at one part of a crime scene and run your eyes slowly over every space. Slowly look at every part of a piece of evidence. Do not assume that later on you will be able to remember everything.

How to be a Good Observer b.Turn off filters— Do not pay attention to only what you think is important. On 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 c. Leave the final interpretation of data until later— Do look for patterns and make connections. But the more information obtained, the better will be the interpretations. Remember that eyewitness accounts and your own thinking can include prejudices.

How to be a Good Observer d. Documentation, documentation, documentation— It is important to write down and photograph as much information as possible. Keep in mind that memory is faulty. Remember that our brains tend to automatically fill in gaps in our perceptions.

- Take pictures Write- - Make Drawings 12. How can you document the evidence? - Take pictures Write- - Make Drawings

As a forensic scientist or a policeman you should be able to use: Analytical skills and deductive reasoning.

12. When making Observations at the crime scene: Study situations. 2. Find clues in ordinary details. 3. Work backwards from the evidence to what led up to the crime. 4. Be patient. 5. Practice.

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The environment and our natural sensory filters affect our ability to observe. Eyewitness reports can be faulty. Gaining good observation skills is possible. Forensic scientists find, document, and accurately interpret the evidence.

What time was it by the bank’s clock? What day of the week was it? What was the name of the outdoor café? On what street was the entrance to the restaurant? How many thieves are staging the holdup? Where they armed? How many bags of loot were they carrying? Was the thief in the street wearing a hat? How many people, besides you and the holdup men, were at the robbery? What were the initials of the man in the business suit? What immediate danger was he in? What is the sex of the onlooker on the second floor? What store was next to the café? What was the shopper stealing? What was the license number of the car parked in front of the store? How do you know the car was illegally parked? What part of the car was being vandalized? What type of hat is the person wearing who is vandalizing the car? What offense was in progress against the female diner? What was the cost of the grapes? Activity 2: Becoming and Eyewitness Observe the following picture for three minutes then try and answer the questions Activity 1-2- timed 3 minute look at the crime and then pass out worksheet that is listed in InstructorActivities.

How well did you do in remembering the details in this picture? What do the results of this activity say if anything, to you about the usefulness of eyewitness accounts in court? What factors influenced you observations? How could you improve your observation skills?