Gauging Long-Term Knowledge Retention of Forensic Science: A Follow-Up Study of College Students Who Participated in a Crime Scene Simulation

Authors

  • David S Byrne SUNY Farmingdale State College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24297/jssr.v18i.9176

Keywords:

Simulation, Applied Learning, Criminal Justice Education, Long-term Memory, Mock Crime Scene

Abstract

This is a long-term follow-up to a prior study which found that simulations enhance knowledge retention of undergraduate students who had participated in a mock crime scene. Employing the qualitative method, three participants from the original research were interviewed 1- to 3-years later and asked a series of questions relating to their coursework on forensic science.  Findings revealed that long-term knowledge of the major theories relating to the subject domain remained stable over time.  It was only the responses to questions regarding specific terminology that presented a gradual decline which is consistent with the decay of semantic memory. Furthermore, each of the subjects were able to recall exactly when during the mock crime scene that they experienced or solved the interview question posited.  The ability to trace back and pinpoint the task that prompted the learning and reinforcement of the concept is aligned with episodical memory.  Overall, the results indicated that classroom simulations improve long-term knowledge retention of forensic science students.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmadov, A. (2011, July). When great minds don’t think alike: Using mock trials in teaching political thought. PS: Political Science and Politics 44(3), 625-628. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41319781

Bonde, M.T., Makransky, G., Wandall, J., Larsen, M.V., Morsing, M., Jarmer, H., & Sommer, M.O.A. (2014, July). Improving biotech education through gamified laboratory simulations. Nature Biotechnology, 32(7), 694-697. doi: 10.1038/nbt.2955.

Brem, A.K., Ran, K., & Pascual-Leone, A. (2013). Learning and memory. Handbook of Clinical Neurology 116, 693-737. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53497-2.00055-3

Brown, K.W., Goodman, R.J., Ryan, R.M., & Anaiayo, B. (2016, April 26). Mindfulness enhances episodic memory performance: Evidence from a multimethod investigation. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0153309. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153309

Byrne, D.S. (2018). Enhancing information retention of forensic science students: Incorporating a simulated crime scene practicum in the college classroom. Journal of Social Science Research 13, 2935-2945. https://doi.org/10.24297/jssr.v13i0.8001

Camina, E. & Guell, F. (2018, June 30). The neuroanatomical, neurophysiological and psychological basis of memory: Current models and their origins. Frontiers in Pharmacology 8(438). https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2017.00438

Caro, C.A. (2011). Predicting state police officer performance in the field training officer program: What can we learn from the cadet’s performance in the training academy? American Journal of Criminal Justice 36, 357-370. doi: 10.1007/s12103-011-9122-6

Dilley, E. K., Zou, L., & Loprinzi, P. D. (2019). The effects of acute exercise intensity on episodic and false memory among young adult college students. Health Promotion Perspectives 9(2), 143-149. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.15171/hpp.2019.20

Duff, M. C., Covington, N. V., Hilverman, C., & Cohen, N. J. (2020). Semantic memory and the hippocampus: Revisiting, reaffirming, and extending the reach of their critical relationship. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00471

Ewanation, L. A., Yamamoto, S., Monnink, J., & Maeder, E. M. (2017). Perceived realism and the CSI-effect. Cogent Social Sciences 3(1) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2017.1294446

Greasley, A., & Smith, C. M. (2017). Using activity-based costing and simulation to reduce cost at a police communications centre. Policing 40(2), 426-441. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-03-2016-0044

Hayes, R. M., & Levett, L. M. (2013). Community members' perceptions of the CSI effect. American Journal of Criminal Justice: AJCJ 38(2), 216-235. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12103-012-9166-2

Houck, M.M. (2006, July). CSI: Realty. Scientific American 295(1), 84-89. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0706-84

Jou, J., & Flores, S. (2013). How are false memories distinguishable from true memories in the deese-roediger-McDermott paradigm? A review of the findings. Psychological Research 77(6), 671-86. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00426-012-0472-6

Klein, S. B. (2014). Autonoesis and belief in a personal past: An evolutionary theory of memory indices. Review of Philosophy and Psychology 5, 417.

Kruse, C. (2010). Producing absolute truth: CSI science as truthful thinking. American Anthropologist 112(1), 79-91.

Kumbruck, C., & Schneider, M. J. (1999). Simulation studies: A new method of prospective technology assessment and design. Quality of Life Research 8(1-2), 161-70. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1026442530663

Lysne, S.J. & Miller, B.G. ((2017). A comparison of long-term knowledge retention between two teaching approaches. Journal of College Science Teaching 46(6), 100-107.

Mahr, J.B., & Csibra, G. (2018). Why do we remember? The communicative function of episodic memory. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 41, 1-63. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X17000012, e1

Mancini, D. E. (2013). The "CSI effect" in an actual juror sample: Why crime show genre may matter. North American Journal of Psychology, 15(3), 543-564. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Michaelian, K. (2016). Confabulating, misremembering, relearning: The simulation theory of memory and unsuccessful remembering. Frontiers in Psychology 7, 1857. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01857

Miller, J.L., Rambeck, J.H. & Snyder, A. (2014, November/December). Improving emergency preparedness systems readiness through simulation and interprofessional education. Public Health Reports 129(4), 129-135. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43775436

Mugford, R., Corey, S., & Bennell, C. (2013, November 2). Improving police training from a cognitive load perspective. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management 36(2), 312-337. doi: 10.1108/13639511311329723

Nepelski, M., & Struniawski, J. (2019). A simulator supporting the training of police officers who process traffic incident scenes. Safety & Fire Technology 54(2), 90-97. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.12845/sft.54.2.2019.6

NIJ. (2003, September). Eye-witness evidence: A trainer’s manual for law enforcement Sample lesson plan: Interviewing. Section I &II: National Institute of Justice. https://www.ojp.gov/library/publications/eyewitness-evidence-trainers-manual-law-enforcement

Saferstein, R. (2018). Criminalistics: An Introduction to Forensic Science, 12th Edition, Pearson, New York, NY.

Samide, R., & Ritchey, M. (2021). Reframing the past: Role of memory processes in emotion regulation. Cognitive Therapy and Research 45, 848–857. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10166-5

Shelton, D.E. (2008, March 16). The ‘CSI effect’: Does it really exist? National Institute of Justice. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/csi-effect-does-it-really-exist

Silvia, C. (2012, Spring). The impact of simulations on higher-level learning. Journal of Public Affairs Education 18(2), 397-422. Retrieved from JSTOR database.

Smith, K., & Milne, B. (2018). Witness interview strategy for critical incidents (WISCI). Journal of Forensic Practice 20(4), 268-278. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFP-03-2018-0007

Söderström, T., Lindgren, C., & Neely, G. (2019). On the relationship between computer simulation training and the development of practical knowing in police education. The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology 36(3), 231-242. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-11-2018-0130

Spotlight on a discipline: Forensics. (2018). International Social Science Review (Online), 94(2), 1-6. Retrieved ProQuest database.

Soukara, S. (2020, Spring). The role of investigative interviewing on witness testimony. The Cyprus Review 32(1), 63-88. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Straube, B. (2012). An overview of the neuro-cognitive processes involved in the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of true and false memories. Behavioral and Brain Functions 8, 35. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-8-35

Toomey, M., Zhou, A., & Yan, X. (2020). Examining the effectiveness of using role-play simulations with Chinese students in China. International Studies Perspectives 21, 363-378.

Tulving, E. (1972). ‘‘Episodic and semantic memory,’’ in Organization of Memory, eds E. Tulving and W. Donaldson (New York, NY: Academic Press), 381–403.

Uddin, T., Saadi, A., Fisher, M., Cross, S., & Attoe, C. (2020). Simulation training for police and ambulance services to improve mental health practice. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education, and Practice 15(5), 303-314. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JMHTEP-04-2020-0020

Vicary, A., & Zaikman, Y. (2017). The CSI effect: An investigation into the relationship between watching crime shows and forensic knowledge. North American Journal of Psychology 19(1), 51-64. Retrieved from ProQuest database.

Vrij, A., Mann, S., Kristen, S., & Fisher R.P. (2007). Cues to deception and ability to detect lies as a function of police interview styles. Law of Human Behavior 31, 499-518. doi 10.1007/s10979-006-9066-4

Zlotnik, G., & Vansintjan, A. (2019, November 7). Memory: An extended definition. Frontiers in Psychology 10(2523). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02523

Downloads

Published

2022-01-27

How to Cite

Byrne, D. S. (2022). Gauging Long-Term Knowledge Retention of Forensic Science: A Follow-Up Study of College Students Who Participated in a Crime Scene Simulation. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH, 18, 15–24. https://doi.org/10.24297/jssr.v18i.9176

Issue

Section

Articles