Deck 4: Section 3: The Psychology of Forensic Identification: Dna, Fingerprints, and Physical Trace Evidence

Question 1

Which of the following types of forensic identification evidence are ranked from the strongest to the weakest?

A) DNA, ballistic analysis, fingerprints.
B) Fingerprints, DNA, ballistic analysis.
C) DNA, fingerprints, ballistic analysis.
D) Ballistic analysis, DNA, fingerprints.

Answer 1

DNA, fingerprints, ballistic analysis.

Question 2

Which of the following refers to whether a technique measures what it is supposed to measure?

A) Validity.
B) Reliability.
C) Practicality.
D) Consistency.

Answer 2

Validity.

Question 3

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

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

Answer 3

inter-rater reliability.

Question 4

The tendency to search out evidence that confirms our beliefs and to ignore evidence that contradicts our beliefs is known as:

A) confirmation bias.
B) contextual bias.
C) self-serving prophecy.
D) the fundamental attribution error.

Question 5

In which of the following conditions would an analyst not know he or she is being tested?

A) Single blind.
B) Double blind.
C) Triple blind.
D) Experimental.

Question 6

What educational qualifications do most practitioners of forensic science have?

A) Bachelor's degree.
B) Master's degree.
C) Doctoral degree.
D) Medical degree.

Question 7

Who pioneered the use of fingerprints in establishing identity?

A) Alphonse Bertillon
B) Francis Galton
C) James Watson
D) Charles Darwin

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT a source of bias in forensic identification procedures?

A) Trace evidence is almost always tested in labs closely affiliated with law enforcement and prosecution.
B) Forensic science is secretive and fears negative findings.
C) Forensic identification procedures are conducted in strictly controlled lab settings.
D) Most research on forensic identification techniques is sponsored by financially interested parties.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A) It is very difficult to calculate the rate of false positive matches for most types of trace evidence.
B) Judges always welcome information about the rate of false positives on the basis that it is useful.
C) Judges often consider professional experience as more important than a solid scientific foundation.
D) Many scholars criticize the word 'match' as a misleading and biased way to describe evidence.

Question 10

If a measure or observation consistently produces similar results through repeated measurements, it is known as:

A) validity.
B) reliability.
C) practicality.
D) accuracy.

Question 11

The largest DNA database system in the world is maintained by the:

A) INTERPOL.
B) FBI.
C) CIA.
D) Secret Service.

Question 12

For many years, _____ forensic evidence, like bullet matching or handwriting analysis, has been used _____ in the courts.

A) questionable; widely
B) solid; rarely
C) questionable; rarely
D) solid; widely

Question 13

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

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

Question 14

The process of linking a piece of physical trace evidence to an individual (suspect) is called:

A) anthropometry.
B) biometrics.
C) forensic identification.
D) iris scanning.

Question 15

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

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 have 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.