Forensic Science for High School Chapter 2

Easily changed or lost; usually observed by the first officer at the scene

Evidence providing only a basis for inference about the disputed fact

The tendency to more easily recognize faces that belong to one's own in-group

Demonstrated the fallibility of eyewitness accounts.

Material that can be related to a single source; always involves a comparison

Links physical evidence to 1 person or object (high degree of scientific certainty) - using comparison to parent source

Material that is similar to the questioned and known samples, and is used to validate the test method and procedure

Material that has been collected from a known location but is of unknown origin

Material that comes from a proven or known source

When neither the eyewitness, nor the interviewer, know who the suspect is

Something that tends to establish or disprove a fact.

They help rule out and narrow possibilities- using probability & statistics

What is said in court by a competent witness; also called direct evidence or prima facie evidence

Evidence that (if true) proves an alleged fact, such as an eyewitness account of a crime

Confessed serial killer, convicted on eye witness accounts.

What is the part of the brain used to transfer short-term memory to long-term memory?

Convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence

The degree to which a particular item of evidence is useful in, and relevant to, proving something important in a trial.

What is the part of the brain used to identify upright faces?

Type of crime, seriousness of crime, witness age, interviewing techniques, if witness knows suspect

A non-profit legal organization that is committed to exonerating wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing

Material that can be associated only with a group of items that share properties or characteristics

Generally more reliable than testimonial, can backup testimony, link a suspect to crime, & help reconstruction