Chapter One: Observation Skills Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Observation Skills By the end of this chapter you will be able to: 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 Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Vocabulary Analytical skills deductive reasoning eyewitness fact forensic logical observation opinion Perception Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

What is Forensic Science? Forensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Forensic Science applies } Chemistry Biology Physics Geology Places physical evidence into a professional discipline. to civil and criminal law Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

What Forensic Scientist Do The forensic examiner must be able to find—identify the evidence document—record the evidence interpret—accurately determine the significance of the evidence One of the key skills in doing this well is observation. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

What is an Observation? Observation: what a person perceives using his or her senses. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

How is information processed in the Brain? Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

How do our brains influence our perception? 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 Example: If we were reading a sentence and a word was missing, we will often not notice the omission but instead predict the word that should be there and read the sentence as though it is complete. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Our Brains Plays Tricks on us! It is difficult to believe, but our brains plays tricks on us. Our perception is limited, and the way we may view our surroundings may not accurately reflect what is really there. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Point out some of the details in this photo. How Well Do You Observe? Point out some of the details in this photo. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Our Brains Plays Tricks on Us! Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Observation By Witnesses Key component of any crime investigation. Not surprisingly, the perceptions of witnesses can be faulty, even though a witness may be utterly convinced of what he or she saw. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Factors that affect observation Skills: Observations are affected by: Emotional states Whether they were alone or with a group of people Number of people/or animals in the area What type of activity is going on around you How much activity is occurring around Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Eyewitness Accounts Eyewitness accounts of crime-scene events often vary, due to: level of interest stress concentration amount and kind of distractions present prejudices personal beliefs motives any lapse in time since the event Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Eyewitness Testimony When evaluating eyewitness testimony, the investigator must discriminate between fact and opinion. Often what we think we see and what really happened may differ. The act of someone fleeing from the site of a shooting might imply guilt but could also be an innocent bystander running away in fear of being shot. Witnesses have to be carefully examined to describe what they saw (eyewitness evidence), not what they thought happened (opinion). On completion of witness examination, the examiner tries to piece together the events (facts) preceding the crime in a logical pattern. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

The Innocence Project Created at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York in 1992 Its purpose was to reexamine post-conviction cases using DNA evidence to provide proof of guilt or innocence. Faulty eyewitness identifications accounted for up to 87% of the wrongful convictions. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

How to be a Good Observer 1. Observe systematically Start at one part of a crime scene and run your eyes slowly over every space Look carefully at details of each piece of evidence Do not assume you will remember everything Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

How to be a Good Observer 2. Turn off filters Consciously pay attention to all details Do not pay attention to just what you think is important All details are potentially important Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

How to be a Good Observer 3. Collect Information first, interpret data later Look for patterns and make connections More information yields better interpretations Prejudices exist everywhere— eyewitness accounts your own thinking processes Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

How to be a Good Observer 4. Documentation, Documentation, Documentation Write down and photograph as much information as possible Be aware that memory is faulty Remember that our brains tend to fill in gaps in our perceptions Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Forensics Scientists..... Are trained in good observation practices. Find clues in ordinary details Work backwards from the evidence to what led up to the crime and use deductive reasoning to verify the actual facts of a case. Know that solving a crime depends on observing all of the evidence left at the crime scene. Analytical skills of this type require patience and practice. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

Activity 1.1 :Learning to See Objectives: Describe some of the problems in making good observations. Improve your observation skills. Procedure: Study photograph for 15 seconds. Answer as many of the questions you can in three minutes. Discuss the answers to the questions with your classmates. Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . The environment and our natural sensory filters affect our ability to observe Eyewitness reports can be correct, faulty, or a little of both Acquiring good observation skills takes practice and training Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary Forensic scientists: Find and Document Evidence Evaluate and Interpret Provide expert testimony to courts Observation Skills Link: http://www.calculatorslive.com/Observation-Skills-Test.aspx Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1