Answer:
1. In the first section (“The CSI effect defined”), do the authors ever give you their opinion on the CSI effect? How do they support their definition and their expansion on the definition? How many different sources do they cite in this section?
The authors do not give their opinion on the CSI effect. They support their definitions through multiple peer reviewed sources on the topic of “CSI Effects”. There were in total five different sources cited in the first section.
2. From pages 86-88, the authors discuss lawyers, police officers, judges, and community members. In this section, do the authors ever give you their opinion on any of the issues discussed?
From pages 86-88, the authors don’t give their opinions on any of these topics. They only present what other scholars have studied and put this information into their own literature review paper.
3. Examine the section entitled “Verdicts” (pp. 90-92). How do the results from the study by Shelton et al. differ from the results of the study by Kim, Barak, and Shelton? How do the results of the study by Baskin and Sommers differ from the results of other studies?
Shelton et al’s study on verdicts focused on those who watch or don’t watch CSI shows and that neither plays a role when jurors decide on a verdict on a suspect. Kim, Barak, and Shelton differs from the first study in that exposure from watching these shows does have an indirect affect to jurors concerning circumstantial evidence. If the case has circumstantial evidence, the jurors are more influenced in giving a verdict. Baskin and Sommers results differ from the rest in that they used a telephone survey to see how likely one would convict a suspect using no scientific evidence. The others focused on watching shows and using circumstantial evidence as basis for verdict, whereas Baskins and Summers article focuses more on attitudes than the behaviors when determining verdict decisions.
4. As a result of having read this article, please write a few sentences about what you might have learned about a) synthesizing sources or b) the CSI effect.
While reading this article and finishing my own literal review, I have learned that the authors synthesize their research according to how they understand the topic. Also, I noticed scholars that do research on a specific topic find similar and different forms of information, but write it according to how the instructor or audience wants it done. The CSI effect article is just another example of this.
