Question 1

Forensic identification can best be defined as the process of linking:

Accepted Answer

A)  physical evidence to a particular individual. 
B)  theory to fact. 
C)  a particular individual to a source. 
D)  physical evidence to a crime scene. 
A)  physical evidence to a particular individual. 
B)  theory to fact. 
C)  a particular individual to a source. 
D)  physical evidence to a crime scene. A

Question 2

Shelly testifies in court that the DNA recovered at the crime scene is likely to come from the suspect because less than 0.0001% of population have this specific genetic marker. This type of identification is called a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  simple match. 
B)  match plus statistics. 
C)  qualitative statement. 
D)  inconclusive statement. 
A)  simple match. 
B)  match plus statistics. 
C)  qualitative statement. 
D)  inconclusive statement. B

Question 3

A fingerprint examiner's decision about a match may be influenced by whether he is told the suspect has confessed to the crime. This tendency to seek out information that supports one's beliefs is known as:

Accepted Answer

A)  expected outcome. 
B)  integration of thought. 
C)  confirmation bias. 
D)  attribution error. 
A)  expected outcome. 
B)  integration of thought. 
C)  confirmation bias. 
D)  attribution error. C

Question 4

According to the text, it is not easy to calculate the false positive rate for most types of trace evidence because:

Accepted Answer

A)  jurors feel unprepared and lacking specialized education to understand such details. 
B)  judges would not allow it in court testimony by a forensic expert. 
C)  forensic examiners do not want to participate in studies of error rates. 
D)  this is not a research question scientists are interested in answering. 
A)  jurors feel unprepared and lacking specialized education to understand such details. 
B)  judges would not allow it in court testimony by a forensic expert. 
C)  forensic examiners do not want to participate in studies of error rates. 
D)  this is not a research question scientists are interested in answering.

Question 5

Fingerprint patterns identified by Sir Francis Galton in the late 1800s, include all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  loops. 
B)  whorls. 
C)  bridges. 
D)  arches. 
A)  loops. 
B)  whorls. 
C)  bridges. 
D)  arches.

Question 6

In a _____ test, the forensic examiner does not know that he or she is being tested.

Accepted Answer

A)  blind. 
B)  blindfolded. 
C)  mock-blinded. 
D)  mock. 
A)  blind. 
B)  blindfolded. 
C)  mock-blinded. 
D)  mock.

Question 7

According to the text, the analysis of bullet striations, tool marks, and bite marks for comparison identification is:

Accepted Answer

A)  scientifically sound and widely used in court. 
B)  scientifically unproven but routinely used in court. 
C)  well-established as reliable evidence but not used often in court. 
D)  scientifically weak and unreliable but should still be used in court. 
A)  scientifically sound and widely used in court. 
B)  scientifically unproven but routinely used in court. 
C)  well-established as reliable evidence but not used often in court. 
D)  scientifically weak and unreliable but should still be used in court.

Question 8

Which one of the following situations would be an example of a false negative error?

Accepted Answer

A)  An expert declares there is no match when it actually matches. 
B)  An expert declares a match when there is no match in reality. 
C)  A judge declares a mistrial. 
D)  A jury nullifies the expert's credentials. 
A)  An expert declares there is no match when it actually matches. 
B)  An expert declares a match when there is no match in reality. 
C)  A judge declares a mistrial. 
D)  A jury nullifies the expert's credentials.

Question 9

All of the following problems plague forensic science, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  financial ties and conflict of interest are common in forensic science. 
B)  forensic science has been marked by secrecy and fear of negative findings. 
C)  each scientific study undergoes extensive scrutiny by peer reviewers. 
D)  most examiners lack advanced graduate training in scientific methods. 
A)  financial ties and conflict of interest are common in forensic science. 
B)  forensic science has been marked by secrecy and fear of negative findings. 
C)  each scientific study undergoes extensive scrutiny by peer reviewers. 
D)  most examiners lack advanced graduate training in scientific methods.

Question 10

Which of the following statements represents correctly how DNA evidence was received in U.S. courts?

Accepted Answer

A)  The courts have embraced DNA analysis as a scientifically sound and proven technique. 
B)  DNA analysis was subjected to much more scrutiny in the courts compared to other commonly used methods like fingerprint analysis. 
C)  The courts at first embraced DNA but then it fell out of favor and was replaced by more scientifically sound methods. 
D)  DNA has never been fully accepted by the courts because a lot of doubts remain in its scientific validity and relevance. 
A)  The courts have embraced DNA analysis as a scientifically sound and proven technique. 
B)  DNA analysis was subjected to much more scrutiny in the courts compared to other commonly used methods like fingerprint analysis. 
C)  The courts at first embraced DNA but then it fell out of favor and was replaced by more scientifically sound methods. 
D)  DNA has never been fully accepted by the courts because a lot of doubts remain in its scientific validity and relevance.

Question 11

Features of fingerprints are referred to as _____, and the impressions found at the scene of a crime are called _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  whorls; finite loops 
B)  finite loops; friction ridges 
C)  ridge characteristics; latent prints 
D)  ridge characteristics; hidden metrics 
A)  whorls; finite loops 
B)  finite loops; friction ridges 
C)  ridge characteristics; latent prints 
D)  ridge characteristics; hidden metrics

Question 12

A shoe imprint left at the crime scene will be much more helpful if it comes from a(n) _____ shoe.

Accepted Answer

A)  well-worn 
B)  new 
C)  in-mint condition 
D)  borrowed 
A)  well-worn 
B)  new 
C)  in-mint condition 
D)  borrowed

Question 13

The text identifies three fundamental problems with forensic identification. Which of the following is NOT among these problems?

Accepted Answer

A)  Many forms of identification evidence have a weak scientific foundation. 
B)  Forensic identification is too often conducted at the crime scene rather than in a lab. 
C)  There is always a risk of contamination or misrepresentation of the trace evidence. 
D)  The way information about a "match" is communicated to a judge or jury can be misleading. 
A)  Many forms of identification evidence have a weak scientific foundation. 
B)  Forensic identification is too often conducted at the crime scene rather than in a lab. 
C)  There is always a risk of contamination or misrepresentation of the trace evidence. 
D)  The way information about a "match" is communicated to a judge or jury can be misleading.

Question 14

What type of influence do the CSI TV dramas have on jurors?

Accepted Answer

•Some attorneys contend that jurors have

Question 15

Among the types of questionable forensic evidence that has been used in courts for decades, the text mentions the chemical composition of the bullets and handwriting analysis. What is the reason these are not valid techniques?

Accepted Answer

A)  Each case is unique and cannot be compared to others. 
B)  The error rate is too high to make the techniques useful. 
C)  It is very rare to find bullets and handwritten notes at the crime scene. 
D)  The techniques are too expensive and there are very few experts in these. 
A)  Each case is unique and cannot be compared to others. 
B)  The error rate is too high to make the techniques useful. 
C)  It is very rare to find bullets and handwritten notes at the crime scene. 
D)  The techniques are too expensive and there are very few experts in these.

Question 16

When a fingerprint examiner is asked to compare a suspect's fingerprints with the _____, this means she needs to compare the suspect's prints with the ones found at the scene of a crime.

Accepted Answer

A)  latent prints 
B)  existing database 
C)  known criminal 
D)  friction ridges 
A)  latent prints 
B)  existing database 
C)  known criminal 
D)  friction ridges

Question 17

Discuss the role of human judgment in forensic identification techniques like DNA and fingerprint matching. Illustrate how it increases the potential for errors.

Accepted Answer

•Almost every forensic technique, includ

Question 18

Which of the following forms of forensic identification evidence is the most objective one?

Accepted Answer

A)  DNA analysis. 
B)  Fingerprint analysis. 
C)  Bullet matching. 
D)  Handwriting analysis. 
A)  DNA analysis. 
B)  Fingerprint analysis. 
C)  Bullet matching. 
D)  Handwriting analysis.

Question 19

Pierre has received a piece of pizza crust with DNA evidence from the crime scene, to analyze and compare it with the CODIS database for possible matches. However, because the piece of pizza crust was mistakenly stored in a plastic bag instead of a paper bag before it got to the lab, the DNA evidence has deteriorated and now yields ambiguous results. Now _____ make a judgment on whether there is a match.

Accepted Answer

A)  Pierre must let the computer 
B)  the police detective who collected the evidence will 
C)  the trial judge will need to 
D)  Pierre has to 
A)  Pierre must let the computer 
B)  the police detective who collected the evidence will 
C)  the trial judge will need to 
D)  Pierre has to

Question 20

The degree to which two or more observers or analysts independently arrive at the same measurement result is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  interrater validity. 
B)  match validity. 
C)  test-retest reliability. 
D)  interrater reliability. 
A)  interrater validity. 
B)  match validity. 
C)  test-retest reliability. 
D)  interrater reliability.

Forensic identification can best be defined as the process of linking:

Shelly testifies in court that the DNA recovered at the crime scene is likely to come from the suspect because less than 0.0001% of population have this specific genetic marker. This type of identification is called a(n):

A fingerprint examiner's decision about a match may be influenced by whether he is told the suspect has confessed to the crime. This tendency to seek out information that supports one's beliefs is known as:

According to the text, it is not easy to calculate the false positive rate for most types of trace evidence because:

Fingerprint patterns identified by Sir Francis Galton in the late 1800s, include all of the following EXCEPT:

In a _____ test, the forensic examiner does not know that he or she is being tested.

According to the text, the analysis of bullet striations, tool marks, and bite marks for comparison identification is:

Which one of the following situations would be an example of a false negative error?

All of the following problems plague forensic science, EXCEPT:

Which of the following statements represents correctly how DNA evidence was received in U.S. courts?

Features of fingerprints are referred to as _, and the impressions found at the scene of a crime are called _.

A shoe imprint left at the crime scene will be much more helpful if it comes from a(n) _____ shoe.

The text identifies three fundamental problems with forensic identification. Which of the following is NOT among these problems?

What type of influence do the CSI TV dramas have on jurors?

Among the types of questionable forensic evidence that has been used in courts for decades, the text mentions the chemical composition of the bullets and handwriting analysis. What is the reason these are not valid techniques?

When a fingerprint examiner is asked to compare a suspect's fingerprints with the _____, this means she needs to compare the suspect's prints with the ones found at the scene of a crime.

Discuss the role of human judgment in forensic identification techniques like DNA and fingerprint matching. Illustrate how it increases the potential for errors.

Which of the following forms of forensic identification evidence is the most objective one?

The degree to which two or more observers or analysts independently arrive at the same measurement result is called:

Psychology and Law: a Cautious Alliance

Presents Several Potential Solutions to the Problem of False Confessions Which of the Following Is Not One of These Solutions

Lie Detection

Criminal Profiling and Psychological Autopsies

Child Sexual Abuse: Interviewing Children and the Recovered Memories of Adults

Eyewitness Identification and Testimony

Competency to Stand Trial

Jury Selection and Trial Procedure

The Insanity Defense

Battered Woman Syndrome, Rape Trauma Syndrome, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Juries and Judges As Decision Makers

Child Custody Disputes

Workplace Law: Harassment, Discrimination, and Fairness

Predicting Violent Behavior: the Psychology of Risk Assessment

Corrections: Sentencing, Imprisonment, and Alternatives

The Death Penalty

Filters

Exam 4: The Psychology of Forensic Identification: Dna, Fingerprints, and Physical Trace Evidence

Forensic identification can best be defined as the process of linking:

Shelly testifies in court that the DNA recovered at the crime scene is likely to come from the suspect because less than 0.0001% of population have this specific genetic marker. This type of identification is called a(n):

A fingerprint examiner's decision about a match may be influenced by whether he is told the suspect has confessed to the crime. This tendency to seek out information that supports one's beliefs is known as:

According to the text, it is not easy to calculate the false positive rate for most types of trace evidence because:

Fingerprint patterns identified by Sir Francis Galton in the late 1800s, include all of the following EXCEPT:

In a _____ test, the forensic examiner does not know that he or she is being tested.

According to the text, the analysis of bullet striations, tool marks, and bite marks for comparison identification is:

Which one of the following situations would be an example of a false negative error?

All of the following problems plague forensic science, EXCEPT:

Which of the following statements represents correctly how DNA evidence was received in U.S. courts?

Features of fingerprints are referred to as _____, and the impressions found at the scene of a crime are called _____.

A shoe imprint left at the crime scene will be much more helpful if it comes from a(n) _____ shoe.

The text identifies three fundamental problems with forensic identification. Which of the following is NOT among these problems?

What type of influence do the CSI TV dramas have on jurors?

Among the types of questionable forensic evidence that has been used in courts for decades, the text mentions the chemical composition of the bullets and handwriting analysis. What is the reason these are not valid techniques?

When a fingerprint examiner is asked to compare a suspect's fingerprints with the _____, this means she needs to compare the suspect's prints with the ones found at the scene of a crime.

Discuss the role of human judgment in forensic identification techniques like DNA and fingerprint matching. Illustrate how it increases the potential for errors.

Which of the following forms of forensic identification evidence is the most objective one?

The degree to which two or more observers or analysts independently arrive at the same measurement result is called:

Psychology and Law: a Cautious Alliance

Presents Several Potential Solutions to the Problem of False Confessions Which of the Following Is Not One of These Solutions

Lie Detection

Criminal Profiling and Psychological Autopsies

Child Sexual Abuse: Interviewing Children and the Recovered Memories of Adults

Eyewitness Identification and Testimony

Competency to Stand Trial

Jury Selection and Trial Procedure

The Insanity Defense

Battered Woman Syndrome, Rape Trauma Syndrome, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Juries and Judges As Decision Makers

Child Custody Disputes

Workplace Law: Harassment, Discrimination, and Fairness

Predicting Violent Behavior: the Psychology of Risk Assessment

Corrections: Sentencing, Imprisonment, and Alternatives

The Death Penalty

Filters

Features of fingerprints are referred to as _, and the impressions found at the scene of a crime are called _.