Question

The criminal investigator must incorporate skills of critical thinking with known scientific methods in their investigations. When comparing these two approaches to criminal investigation, which statement below best reflects a scientific method?

A. Relying on intuition and gut feelings
B. Utilizing logical reasoning and evidence-based analysis
C. Depending on personal beliefs and biases
D. Making decisions based on public opinion"

Answer 1

The statement that best reflects the scientific method in criminal investigation is 'Utilizing logical reasoning and evidence-based analysis' as it involves making observations, forming hypotheses, and testing these systematically.

Step-by-step explanation:

When comparing critical thinking and scientific methods in criminal investigations, the statement that best reflects a scientific method is B. Utilizing logical reasoning and evidence-based analysis.

Scientific methods involve a step-by-step approach that includes making observations, defining a problem, forming hypotheses, and conducting methodical investigations to test these hypotheses.

Critical to this process are inductive and deductive reasoning; where inductive reasoning uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion, and deductive reasoning predicts results by applying general principles.

Unlike relying on intuition, personal beliefs, or public opinion, scientific methods are based on empirical evidence and logical processes to draw conclusions.