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

2. 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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

27. 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

28. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary Forensic scientists:
Find and Document Evidence
Evaluate and Interpret
Provide expert testimony to courts
Observation Skills Link:
Forensic Science: Fundamentals & Investigations, Chapter 1