2. The Collection and Processing of Forensic Evidence PREVIOUSLY WE LOOKED AT… WHAT MAKES A CRIMINAL TODAY WE WILL LOOK AT… HOW WE ‘CATCH’ CRIMINALS

Background: Motivating factors and bias in the collection and processing of forensic evidence Key Research: Hall and Player (2008) Will the introduction of an emotional context affect finger print analysis and decision making Application: Strategies for reducing bias in the collection and processing of forensic evidence 

Key Research: Hall and Player (2008) Will the introduction of an emotional context affect finger print analysis and decision making Aim: Hall and Player (2008) aimed to test if context had an effect on fingerprint identification by fingerprint experts Specifically looking to answer the following questions: Does a written report of a crime affect a fingerprint experts interpretation of a poor quality mark? Are the finger print experts emotionally affected by the circumstances of the case?

Key Research: Hall and Player (2008) Will the introduction of an emotional context affect finger print analysis and decision making Sample: 70 finger print experts working for Metropolitan Police Fingerprint Bureau whose experience ranged from less than 3 months to over 30 years (mean 11 years) Sampling method: Participants all responded to a request for volunteers to take part in an experiment. As the request did not go into details of the experiment, the study is considered a volunteer sample

Key Research: Hall and Player (2008) Will the introduction of an emotional context affect finger print analysis and decision making Method and design: Laboratory experiment Although the task reflects a real life task, it was artificially generated Participants randomly allocated to one of two conditions (low emotional context or high emotional context) Independent measures design

Key Research: Hall and Player (2008) Will the introduction of an emotional context affect finger print analysis and decision making IV = low context or high context DV = Whether participants read crime scene examination prior to examining the fingerprint (ppts could chose not to) Whether the participant considered the finger mark was identification – a match not an identification – not a match insufficient – not enough detail to undertake a comparison insufficient detail to establish identify, some detail in agreement but not enough to individualise 3. Whether the ppt would be confident to present fingerprint as evidence to court

Key Research: Hall and Player (2008) Will the introduction of an emotional context affect finger print analysis and decision making Procedure Turn the ‘procedure’ into a comic strip Split your page into smaller sections. You should draw to illustrate the important aspects of the procedure. You may wish to accompany your drawings with words or phrases