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Bias Flashcards

1
Q

what is the forensic scientist there not to prove

A

guilt or innocence

they are there to aid the understanding of the court

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2
Q

where may bias be introduced into CAI

A

forensics is context dependent but information if conveyed incorrectly can bias opinions

unless assessment and interpretation choices are made correctly they may introduce bias

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3
Q

what is meant by partiality

A

being bias

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4
Q

what is meant by impartiality

A

being fair and unbiased

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5
Q

what are the 4 things the codes of practice say a forensic scientist should act with

(relating to bias)

A

honesty
integrity
objectivity
impartiality

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6
Q

what are the two overall forms of bias seen

A

cognitive bias and unconscious bias

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7
Q

what is meant by expectation/experimenters bias

A
  1. expectation/experimenters bias = the expectation of what an individual will find what they actually found
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8
Q

what is meant by anchoring bias

A
  1. anchoring bias or focalism = when someone relies too heavily on a piece of information and bases everything else round that
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9
Q

when does bias generally occur

A

when the individual has too much confidence and fails to consider other suggestions

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10
Q

what is meant by availability heuristic

A

people who overestimate the importance of information available to them

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11
Q

what is meant by the Bandwagon effect

A

the probability of one person adopting an opinion based on the number of people who hold that belief

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12
Q

what is meant by blind spot bias

A

failing to recognise your own cognitive bias

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13
Q

what is meant by choice supportive bias

A

when one chooses something they tend to feel positive about

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14
Q

what is meant by a clustering illusion

A

the tendency to see patterns in random events

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15
Q

what is meant by confirmation bias

A

only listening to information that confirms our preconceptions

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16
Q

what is meant by conservatism bias

A

people favour prior evidence over new evidence or info

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17
Q

what is meant by information bias

A

seeking more information when it isn’t always relevant

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18
Q

what is meant by the Ostrich effect

A

the decision to ignore a dangerous or negative info by burying your head in the sand

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19
Q

what is meant by outcome bias

A

judging a decision based on the outcome not the making of the decision

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20
Q

what is meant by selective perception

A

allows expectations to influence how we perceive events

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21
Q

what is meant by survivorship bias

A

an error coming from focussing on surviving examples leading to misjudgement of a situation

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22
Q

what does the duty of the expert witness include

A

giving an opinion that is objective, unbiased and within their area of expertise

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23
Q

what does the duty of the expert witness override

A

any obligation to the person who the expert received instructions from or who they are paid by

24
Q

what is the overall role of the expert witness

A

to evaluate scientific findings and the results of analytical tests in the context of the relevant case circumstances

giving an opinion that is balances, robust, logical and transparent

25
Q

what is meant by contextual bias

A

someone has other information aside from that being considered influencing the outcome

26
Q

what is meant by role effects

A

where a scientist identifies themselves as part of the prosecution or the defence which can introduce subconscious bias

27
Q

what is meant by motivational bias

A

when an opinion is formed relating to a subject that has a lower level of scrutiny than one that is a less favoured outcome

28
Q

what is meant by reconstructive effects

A

occurs when people rely on memory rather than contemporaneous notes, they fill in gaps with what they believe should have happened

29
Q

when are the risks of bias lower (5)

A
  • when the result is clear and unambiguous
  • when a methodological approach is used with defined standards and quality
  • using principles that have been tested and validated
  • the work is thoroughly reviewed by someone who is competent and separate from the original scientist
  • experience
30
Q

when are the risks of bias greater (4)

A
  • when the results is complex, of poor quality and there is an increased reliance on a subjective opinion
  • when the method is unresearched
  • when it is personal to the practitioner or they are less experiences
  • peer review is less vigorous
31
Q

what is meant by debias

A

reduction or elimination of impacts of bias

32
Q

what is meant by photogrammetry

A

practice of obtaining reliable information about objects through processing of recording and interpreting photos

33
Q

what is meant by psychological contamination

A

exposure to other info that is irrelevant to the assessment but introduces subconscious bias

34
Q

what things may result in bias occurring in expert witness reports (3)

A

not having your work peer reviewed well by someone external

time pressures

pressure from the person who hired you

35
Q

why might some people say case context is bad

A

they could argue it introduces bias but it is needed for CAI and developing the forensic strategy - there is a fine line not too much info needs to be given

36
Q

how is the susceptibility of cognitive bias different person to person managed

A

this varies massively between individuals

awareness, training and competence assessments of individuals needs to be ensured

it is formally assessed prior to casework and then on a regular basis

37
Q

how is the susceptibility of cognitive bias different person to person assessed (2 ways)

A
  1. through proficiency testing programmes - mock casework examples are used
  2. blind trails are a good way also and tend to be more reliable

these can be time consuming but exhibit good practice by the lab

38
Q

what does bias link heavily with

A

quality

39
Q

how can reconstructive effects be avoided

A

taking contemporaneous notes well at all stages of the investigation

it is the duty of the expert to record, retain and reveal their work

recording all info received and their interpretations

40
Q

how can role effects be avoided

A

try to not let the person who hired you affect your decisions and remain impartial to both propositions at hand

41
Q

how can cognitive bias be avoided when interpreting findings

A

think of all possible outcomes and then assess which is most likely using the LR

42
Q

once a report is written what is recommended for good practice

A

verification by a second expert that is not associated with the case previously and has no info on it

the repeat the interpretation

43
Q

at crime scenes what are the 4 most important things

but what is the overriding priority

A

scene preservation
securing evidence
speed of response
use of resources relating to crime seriousness

preservation of life

44
Q

where may bias be present at crime scenes (5)

A

failure to secure evidence

focussing too early of false leads that can mislead investigations and how you look at a scene

gathering info before you have even got to the scene

placing cordons because it is convenient (lamp post in the right place making tape easy to put there)

using past cases you have been to to make links that don’t exist

45
Q

what are the cognitive processes when getting to a crime scene (3)

A

setting cordons
entry and exit points
receiving information on what’s happened so far

46
Q

what cognitive processes are associated with making a record of the scene (3)

A

equipment selection
what images to capture
sketch’s to be drawn

47
Q

what type of communication if preferred to prevent introducing bias

what is the issue with this

A

written rather than oral as the decisions made are more transparent and clear

it is slow

48
Q

what are the rules surrounding disclosure in court

A

the defendant does not have to disclose the strategy but the prosecution does

49
Q

if there is no suitable option for objective evaluation of evidence what is used

A

a subjective based approach that is validated and has demonstrated robustness of conclusions and opinions previously

50
Q

what is an example of a commonly accepted subjective based evaluation approach used in the UK

give an example where this may be used

A

ACE-V
analysis, comparison, evaluation, verification (by other examiners)

fingerprint or handwriting comparisons

51
Q

where might contextual bias come into fingerprint analysis (7)

A
  1. nature and crime details
  2. personal knowledge w victim
  3. previous criminal activity of suspect
  4. crime location
  5. public interest with the crime
  6. personal morals
  7. time pressures
52
Q

where might conformation bias come into fingerprint analysis (3)

A
  1. having prior knowledge of another analysts findings
  2. matching features that aren’t actually matches
  3. wanting to find a match to solve the case
53
Q

give two case examples where cognitive bias was an issue in forensic science

A

Brandon Mayfield in 2006
Shirley McKie 1999

54
Q

do reference samples introduce bias, if so why

what approach is used to prevent this bias affecting the initial analysis of the evidence

A

yes they can

we can start making links that weren’t made before just to say we have a match

use linear sequential unmasking

55
Q

what is linear sequential unmasking

A

scientist must first begin with the evidence before being exposed to or working on any reference material

but they can go back to the original sample after being exposed to the reference but all changes they make must be documented

56
Q

what is expected frequency bias

A

being accustomed to a particular result occurring at a certain rate and then expecting this rate to continue

57
Q

give three ways to mitigate bias in forensic investigation

A

remove irrelevant context info
minimise the bias in the expected outcomes
look at reference samples after initial examination of evidence

Advanced Topics (5 decks)

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