Observation Skills & Deductive Reasoning

a person who has seen someone or something and can communicate these facts

• eyewitness

• expert witness

• detective

• victim

interpreting information received from the senses

• deductive reasoning

• perception

• logic

• observation

deriving the consequences from the facts using a series of logical steps

• logic

• deductive reasoning

• perception

• observation

When faced with a gap in our recollection or memory, the brain will:

• create a blank space and let you know you do not remember

• fill in the gap with information that may not be accurate

• connect the hemispheres which allows accurate recall

• compensate by using the olfactory center which is usually not used during memory recall.

Witness testimony should not be relied heavily on in a courtroom because it can be __________________.

• unfair since it is so accurate

• unimportant to the crime

• unreliable and inaccurate

• a distraction for the jurors

The Innocence Project found that most faulty convictions were based on

• out of date investigation equpment

• poor DNA sampling

• inaccurate eyewitness accounts

• compromised crime scenes

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

• be sure to look at the entire area, not just the body, weapons, or signs of break in

• observe everything no matter how big or small

• when collecting evidence, record only those things that you perceive are important

• write down and photograph everything you find.

Perception

• is faulty

• is not always accurate

• does not always reflect reality

• all of these choices

unrealistic expectations portrayed by TV shows that assume every crime scene will yield forensic evidence that will aid in solving a crime

• Innocence Project

• Forensic Science

• CSI Effect

• Deductive Reasoning

What type of evidence is the cornerstone of the Innocence Project?

• ballistics

• DNA

• eyewitness accounts

• expert witnesses