Chapter 1 Review Questions Worksheet

One of the most important tools of the forensic investigator is the ability to ______________, interpret, and report observations clearly.

According to how information is processed in the brain, put these in order of how we perceive information.

1. perception
2. long-term memory
3. Information from our senses
4. short-term memory
5. What we pay attention to

Choose all of the following which are our senses...

Our _________________- is limited, and the way we view our surroundings may not accurately reflect what is really there.

Criminal investigations depend on the observation skills of all parties involved....

The word forensic refers to the application of scientific knowledge to legal questions.

Good observation skills come naturally to investigators; they do not need to be trained.

If we remember seeing something happen, we can trust that it happened just as we think it did.

Most wrongful convictions seem to be the result of faulty eyewitness testimony.

The Innocence Project is an organization that seeks to get convicted killers out of prison.

A forensic scientist is called to a court of law to provide

Our state of mind affects how we observe our surroundings. What mental state is the best for observing?

The Innocence Project found that most faulty convictions were based on

All of the following are ways to improve our observational skills except

The forensic scientist has many duties. Which of these is not a job for a forensic scientist?

Answer in complete sentences.

Why are observation skills important to forensic science?

Answer in complete sentences.

Name three ways you can improve your observation skills.

Answer in complete sentences.

Describe two ways that your brain may alter sensory information.

Answer in complete sentences.

Describe a situation where two different people might perceive a crime scene in different ways.

Answer in complete sentences.

Briefly describe what can be detected by observing facial expressions.

Which of these states of mind plays a big part in what we see and what we can remember?

How a person ..........(choose all that apply) all contribute to our picture of his or her appearance.

Memory fades with time, and our _____________ tend to fill in details that we feel are appropriate but may not be accurate.

_______________ was the first individual shown to be innocent by the Innocence Project.

After evaluating more than 200 wrongful convictions in the United States, the ______________ found that faulty eyewitness identification contributed up to 87 percent of those wrongful convictions.

Eyewitness errors included....

A forensic investigator is not interested in making the suspect look guilty; he or she is only interested in....

Generally, specialists deal with certain types of evidence. Match the specialist with the type of evidence they would analyze