Question 1 of 14Correct: 0
What does the basic principle of forensics state?
Why doesn't a particle from someone prove they were there?
What do discrepancies in witness accounts mean?
Why are witnesses questioned separately?
Why is a partial fingerprint harder to compare reliably?
What helps reduce the investigation's influence on an expert?
What does a forensic examiner compare to identify the signature's author?
Why can't character be reliably determined from handwriting?
Why do people confess to things they didn't do?
What is the main safeguard against false confessions?
What helps distinguish a specific sole from the same model?
Why is “this print was left by this pair” still disputed?
What is the prosecutor's fallacy?
What question should you ask when you hear an impressive probability?
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Why Traces Are Left at Crime Scenes0/2Why Witnesses Give Different Accountsin the app0/2Why Fingerprints Don't Always Solve the Casein the app0/2How Handwriting Analysis Works0/2Why a Confession Isn't Proof0/2What a Shoeprint Can Tell You0/2What Is the Prosecutor's Fallacyin the app0/2
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Answers and explanations14 questions
- What does the basic principle of forensics state? Material passes in both directions during any contactThe question is not whether a trace exists, but whether investigators will find it and what it will prove.From “Why Traces Are Left at Crime Scenes”
- Why doesn't a particle from someone prove they were there? Material can transfer through intermediaries and objectsSecondary transfer has been demonstrated experimentally, making the question of how the finding got there more important than its presence.From “Why Traces Are Left at Crime Scenes”
- What do discrepancies in witness accounts mean? People watched from different places and filled gaps in their own waysDetails that match are usually reliable, while discrepancies show where the filling-in began.From “Why Witnesses Give Different Accounts”
- Why are witnesses questioned separately? After talking, their accounts converge and stop checking each otherA similarity that appears after people exchange impressions confirms nothing.From “Why Witnesses Give Different Accounts”
- Why is a partial fingerprint harder to compare reliably? More people may match itThe smaller and poorer the fragment, the more similar candidates there are and the higher the risk of error when comparing it.From “Why Fingerprints Don't Always Solve the Case”
- What helps reduce the investigation's influence on an expert? Conduct the examination without case contextWhen an expert doesn't know the investigation's theory, it's easier to examine the print rather than unconsciously look for confirmation.From “Why Fingerprints Don't Always Solve the Case”
- What does a forensic examiner compare to identify the signature's author? A disputed document and the person's samplesA forensic examiner compares the disputed document with samples known to have been written by a specific person.From “How Handwriting Analysis Works”
- Why can't character be reliably determined from handwriting? Tests produce matches at chance levelIn tests, graphologists' conclusions about personality traits match questionnaire results no better than chance.From “How Handwriting Analysis Works”
- Why do people confess to things they didn't do? To make what's happening stop right nowThe logic is: I'll say anything, and they'll sort it out later, but after a confession they stop checking.From “Why a Confession Isn't Proof”
- What is the main safeguard against false confessions? Recording the entire interrogationA full recording shows where the details came from and what was said to the person before they agreed.From “Why a Confession Isn't Proof”
- What helps distinguish a specific sole from the same model? Random cuts, pebbles, and chipsThe model narrows the search, while random features can link a print to a specific sole.From “What a Shoeprint Can Tell You”
- Why is “this print was left by this pair” still disputed? There is no standard for enough matchesThe conclusion rests on random features, but there is no single rule for how many matches are enough.From “What a Shoeprint Can Tell You”
- What is the prosecutor's fallacy? Replacing one question: confusing evidence rarity in an innocent person with the probability of innocenceThese are 2 different numbers, and the second also depends on how many people were considered.From “What Is the Prosecutor's Fallacy”
- What question should you ask when you hear an impressive probability? How many people were consideredWithout the size of the group, rarity by itself means almost nothing.From “What Is the Prosecutor's Fallacy”