what must forensic investigators rely on?

their ability to observe interpret and report

what must examiners be able to identify?

evidence
record it
determine the significance

human error

is always a possibility

humans constantly gathering information about our surroundings through

the five senses

the brain

filters information because it cannot half all information that is observed on a daily basis

paying attention to detail

takes a conscious effort

how do you know what's important

you don't because the brain is constantly filling in missing pieces and creating shortcuts and connections
the brain fills in and edits this because of perception which is made as a result of observations or personal experiences

memory

fades with time
the order
1.information from the senses
2. what we pay attention to
3. perception
4.short term memory
5. long term memory

the frontal lobe

associated with reasoning planning parts of speech emotions and problem solving

the pariental lobe

associated with movement orientation recognition and perception of stimuli

the occipital lobe

associated with visual processing

the temporal lobe

auditory section associated with perception memories and speech

deductive reasoning

when you start from the things you assume to be true and draw conclusions that must be true if your assumptions are true
starts broad and ends narrow

causes of eyewitness error

lengths of time between crime and questioning
distractions at the crime scene like lots of commotion or people
the use of a disguise by the perpetrator such as a mask or wig
a lack of distinctive characteristics of the suspects such as tattoos or extreme height
a relationship between the witness and suspect or victim
a racial disparity between witness and subject
stress or fear due to a weapon or threat
age of the victim
new information can cloud or inaccurately sharpen memory like viewing mugshots or being asked leading

what are the two things eyewitnesses remember the most

sex and hair color

eyewitness accounts

though this topic is highly debatable most states have accepted eyewitness accounts as a flawed science and don't allow people to be convicted solely on eyewitness accounts however investigators still use them to produce leads and help gain additional evidence that can be used to convict

system variables

They include all of the ways that law enforcement agencies retrieve and record witness memory, such as lineups, photo arrays, and other identification procedures.

estimator variables

are those that cannot be controlled by the criminal justice system. They include simple factors like the lighting when the crime took place or the distance from which the witness saw the perpetrator

episodic memory

Episodic memory is a person's unique memory of a specific event, so it will be different from someone else's recollection of the same experience.

How does the use of suspect line-ups support the process of recollection?

Recollection is a process that elicits the retrieval of contextual information pertaining to a specific incident. Sometimes a recollection from long-term memory is retrieved almost effortlessly, and other times it may need something to trigger it, such as a word, an image or even a smell.

What proposals has The Innocence Project made to improve the accuracy of eyewitness IDs?

The Innocence Project has proposed legislation to improve the accuracy of eyewitness IDs. These proposals include videotaping the identification procedure so that juries can determine if it was conducted properly, putting individuals in the lineup who resemble the witness's description of the perpetrator, informing the viewer of the lineup that the perpetrator may or may not be in it, and ensuring that the person administering the lineup or other identification procedure does not know who the suspect is.

How is memory like a puzzle?

memories are reconstructed rather than played back each time we recall them.Even questioning by a lawyer can alter the witness's testimony because fragments of the memory may unknowingly be combined with information provided by the questioner, leading to inaccurate recall.

How do most people perceive human memory?

Many people believe that human memory works like a video recorder: the mind records events and then, on cue, plays back an exact replica of them. On the contrary, psychologists have found that memories are reconstructed rather than played back each time we recall them.