A Forensic Science-Based Model for Identifying and Mitigating Forensic Mental Health Expert Biases

Article Figures & Data

Download figure
Open in new tab
Download powerpoint
Figure 1. Sources of bias. This figure is from an open-access article published under an ACS AuthorChoice License (Ref. 1, p 7998), which permits copying and redistribution of the article or any adaptations for non-commercial purposes. The author has also given permission for use of the figure.

Table 1

Six Fallacies and Cognitive Bias Commonly Held by Experts (Ref. 1, p 7999)

Fallacy	Incorrect Belief
1. Ethical issues	It only happens to corrupt and unscrupulous individuals, an issue of morals and personal integrity, a question of personal character.
2. Bad apples	It is a question of competency and happens to experts who do not know how to do their job properly.
3. Expert immunity	Experts are impartial and are not affected because bias does not impact competent experts doing their job with integrity.
4. Technological protection	Using technology, instrumentation, automation, or artificial intelligence guarantees protection from human biases.
5. Blind spot	Other experts are affected by bias, but not me. I am not biased; it is the other experts who are biased.
6. Illusion of control	I am aware that bias impacts me, and therefore, I can control and counter its effect. I can overcome bias by mere willpower.

This table is from an open access article published under an ACS AuthorChoice License,¹ which permits copying and redistribution of the article or any adaptations for noncommercial purposes. The author has also given permission for use of the table.