Intro Flashcards
Define opprobrium
Harsh criticism or censure
How does opprobrium relate to forensic science?
Life isn’t fair; you have bodily autonomy AND you still need to conduct yourself appropriately in different environments
Give some examples of how you may conduct yourself professionally.
What you wear, how you speak, knowing your audience, how you act
What are morals?
Concerned with the principles of behaviour; goodness/badness of human character
What are ethics?
A system of moral principles influencing conduct; idealistic behaviour or standards
Differentiate between morals and ethics
Morals = pertains to individual values
Ethics = Pertains to group of individuals
Why are ethics and professionalism important to forensic scientists?
Knowing what is ethical and professional protects you in your job.
What is ethical adaptation?
Many people bend their moral values depending on the situation
Give an example of ethical adaptation
“Big companies have so much money, it’s not really stealing”
What are some misconceptions about ethics and how they pertain to forensic science?
Ethics are black and white (something is either right or wrong); forensic scientists are ethical by nature
Give some examples of unethical conduct in forensic science.
Misrepresentation of professional credentials
Dry labbing
Not doing a job to the best of your ability
Cognitive bias
Poor use of terminology
Improper court testimony
What is dry labbing?
Not actually doing the lab work and just making up the results
What are examples of cognitive bias?
Confirmation bias
Contextual bias
What is confirmation bias?
Twisting results to fit the scenario you’ve been given/ignoring results that don’t match
What is contextual bias?
Interpreting results inaccurately based on context
