1. The Power of
Observation
Observation
Pawson, 2014
PVMHS

2. Whodunnit?

3. Observation
Observation: def. the act of carefully surveying, using our senses, something or someone, for the purpose of gathering information.
We are constantly making observations and taking in information without even thinking about it.
Our brain applies a filter, so that we can function – we only notice the information that isn’t being filtered.
Persons who suffer from sensory disorders are not able to apply these filters and end up with a “traffic jam” of information entering their brain.

4. How information is processed in the brain

5. Write down 5 observations about this scene:

6. What were some of your observations?
Consider those observations, were you making assumptions?
Could those assumptions be wrong?

7. Perception
The way that you see your surroundings may not accurately reflect what is there, this is your perception.
Our brain automatically fills in gaps in 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 may believe things were part of the background even though they were not.
Perception can lead to bias in observations.

13. Observations by witnesses
We know that observations are affected by:
Emotional state
Whether they were alone, part of a group, or near others
What type of and how much activity was going on around them
Therefore, observations of eye-witnesses are often flawed even though s/he is convinced about what s/he saw.

14. Eye-witness reports can vary due to
stress
concentration
amount and kind of distractions present
prejudices
personal beliefs
motives
any lapse in time since the event
When interviewing an eye-witness the investigator must determine what is fact and what is opinion.

15. The Innocence Project Barry C. Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld
Founded in 1992, the purpose of the Innocence Project was to use DNA evidence to examine post-conviction cases
They have evaluated over 200 cases and found that faulty eyewitness identifications accounted for 87% of the wrongful convictions.
Eyewitness testimony part 1:
Eyewitness testimony part 2:

16. How to be a good observer
Make a conscious effort to examine your environment systematically. If you are examining a crime scene, start in one corner and move slowly over the entire space looking at everything you see.
Consciously turn off your filters and behave like a data- gathering robot. Observe everything no matter how small or inconsequential it may seem.
Concentrate on gathering all information possible and leave interpretation and analysis for later.
Write down and photograph as much as possible.

17. Observation and Forensic Science
The ability to solve a crime depends on observing all the evidence left at a crime scene.
Police officer and investigators need to be trained to have good observation skills because it does not always come naturally.
Forensic investigators find clues in details that others may miss. They work backward from the evidence to piece together what happened leading up to the crime.
This is known as deductive reasoning – working from the top down.

18. Any questions?