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A Forensic Science-Based Model for Identifying and Mitigating Forensic Mental Health Expert Biases
Melinda DiCiro1, Shoba Sreenivasan2
1Dr. DiCiro is Deputy Director and Dr. Sreenivasan is an SVP Evaluator, Forensic Services Division, California Department of State Hospitals, Sacramento, California; Dr. Sreenivasan is an adjunct clinical professor, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
Summary
Cognitive biases can impact forensic expert decisions, even with objective data. This study applies a framework to forensic mental health assessments, proposing structured strategies to mitigate bias and enhance accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Forensic Psychology
- Legal Medicine
Background:
- Cognitive biases can influence expert decision-making in forensic science.
- Forensic mental health evaluations are particularly susceptible to cognitive biases due to their subjective nature.
- Itiel Dror's cognitive framework addresses biases in expert decision-making.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt Dror's cognitive framework to forensic mental health assessments.
- To explore how cognitive biases affect data collection and interpretation in this field.
- To propose strategies for mitigating bias in forensic mental health evaluations.
Main Methods:
- Application of Dror's cognitive framework to forensic mental health.
- Analysis of bias influence on data collection and interpretation.
- Proposal of mitigation strategies, including Linear Sequential Unmasking-Expanded (LSU-E).
Main Results:
- Cognitive biases, influenced by contextual, motivational, and organizational factors, can affect forensic mental health evaluations.
- Self-awareness alone is insufficient; structured, external strategies are necessary for bias mitigation.
- The adapted framework offers a practical approach to reduce bias.
Conclusions:
- Mitigating cognitive biases in forensic mental health requires systematic, external interventions.
- Implementing strategies like LSU-E can improve the fairness and accuracy of assessments.
- Dror's model provides a valuable tool for understanding and addressing bias in forensic mental health.
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