Question 1

According to the text, most forensic examiners hold a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  master's degree. 
B)  Ph.D. 
C)  bachelor's degree. 
D)  associate's degree.

Question 2

Kelly works as a fingerprint examiner. A police detective showed her some gory photos of the crime scene and told her that the suspect in custody is a likely perpetrator of the murder. Kelly is more likely to find a match between the latent prints and the suspect's prints because of:

Accepted Answer

A)  integration of thought error. 
B)  contextual bias. 
C)  generalization bias. 
D)  fundamental attribution error.

Question 3

If the imprint came from a popular type of Adidas sneaker, it reflects _____; if the imprint has a unique pattern of wear and tear, it reflects _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  individual characteristics; group characteristics 
B)  group characteristics; individual characteristics 
C)  a matrix source; an origin source 
D)  an origin source; a matrix source

Question 4

DNA can be extracted from _____ evidence:

Accepted Answer

A)  any 
B)  biological 
C)  controversial 
D)  psychometric

Question 5

Which of the following statements about forensic identification is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

Biological evidence may include:

Accepted Answer

A)  blood, saliva, semen, and skin cells. 
B)  blood, saliva, modus operandi, and fingerprints. 
C)  semen, skin cells, and fabric threads. 
D)  skin cells, saliva, and tool marks.

Question 7

Sir Francis Galton, who was the first to describe fingerprint patterns and use them for matching, was an early pioneer in the field of psychometrics, advocating the idea that individual psychological traits can be:

Accepted Answer

A)  measured. 
B)  developed. 
C)  improved. 
D)  swapped.

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

All of the following problems lead to fingerprint evidence being imperfect and prone to error, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  latent prints are often smudged or partial. 
B)  if the number of matching ridge characteristics reaches 16, the two prints match. 
C)  there is no information on how common certain ridge characteristics are in the population. 
D)  each fingerprint examiner makes decisions based on his or her own perception of the fingerprints.

Question 10

A qualitative statement made by an expert when presenting evidence is:

Accepted Answer

A)  a subjective statement corroborated by statistics. 
B)  a non-statistical statement about the strength of a match. 
C)  based on research studies rather than on the analysis of trace evidence. 
D)  supported by peer review from multiple experts analyzing the same case.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

Nicholas was brought in for questioning and asked to provide his fingerprints. Based on fingerprint evidence, he was excluded as a suspect. This means that the fingerprints found at the crime scene were:

Accepted Answer

A)  too smudged to prove to be his. 
B)  incomplete and could not be matched. 
C)  found to be from someone else. 
D)  inconclusive.

Question 13

At each locus of the DNA strand, a person has two genetic characteristics, or _____: one inherited _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  alleles; from each parent 
B)  loci; from birth, another acquired 
C)  alleles; from birth, another acquired 
D)  loci; from each parent

Question 14

_____ the other, well-established forms of forensic identification, DNA identification was subjected to _____ scrutiny to establish its scientific validity and relevance.

Accepted Answer

A)  Just like; rather lax 
B)  Just like; increased 
C)  Unlike; rather lax 
D)  Unlike; increased

Question 15

A simple match statement by a forensic expert:

Accepted Answer

A)  uses statistical analysis. 
B)  applies probability categories. 
C)  defines specific features and their likelihood. 
D)  does not use statistical terms.

Question 16

Fingerprint evidence is _____ for jurors to understand because, unlike DNA analysis information, it does not involve _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  harder; probabilities 
B)  easier; probabilities 
C)  harder; multiple sources 
D)  easier; multiple sources

Question 17

There are several sources of bias in forensic identification procedures. Which of the following statements is NOT indicative of such a bias?

Accepted Answer

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 18

Since people rather than computers make decisions about whether there is a match, the process of forensic identification may be influenced by psychological biases. The tendency to seek out evidence that bolsters our beliefs and to ignore evidence that contradicts our beliefs is known as:

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

Which of the following types of forensic identification evidence are ranked from the strongest (on the left) to the weakest (on the right)?

Accepted Answer

A)  DNA, bullet matching, fingerprints. 
B)  Fingerprints, DNA, bullet matching. 
C)  DNA, fingerprints, bullet matching. 
D)  Bullet matching, DNA, fingerprints.

Question 20

Bullet-matching results:

Accepted Answer

A)  are inconsistent and unproven, even after they have been used in thousands of trials. 
B)  are generally confirmed by scientific studies to be reliable and can be safely used in court. 
C)  can always match to a particular suspect if the gun is recovered. 
D)  demonstrate that each bullet is unique and can be identified as such.

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

According to the text, most forensic examiners hold a(n) :