President's DNA Initiative
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Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology

DNA Analyst Training

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Introduction

Home > Population Genetics & Statistics > Statistics > Introduction

Statistics are important to the forensic scientist because they provide a means to quantitate uncertainty, to summarize large amounts of data into understandable terms, and to make decisions based on these summaries in the presence of uncertainty and variation. Statistics provide a means for forensic scientists to convey the significance of DNA testing results. When comparing the DNA profiles obtained from forensic evidence to that from a known individual, statistics can be used to assess the significance of an association.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this unit of instruction, the student shall be able to do the following:

• Describe the importance and use of statistics and probability to the field of forensic science
• Use at least one of the accepted statistical approaches to evaluate DNA data
• Describe how DNA population databases are constructed and used

Click here to watch a video on statistical probabilities presented by Greggory LaBerge.

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