Webinar on Cognitive and Human Factors in Forensic Decision Making

Join ANAB for a webinar on the preview of Cognitive and Human Factors in Forensic Decision Making.

In this event we will take a step in this direction by first dispelling the common misbelief that “the evidence is the evidence.” Once we acknowledge and understand that implicit cognitive bias impacts all of us, including experts and what the data are, we can explore the sources of bias and consider bias countermeasures. Bias countermeasures, such as blinding and Linear Sequential Unmasking (LSU-E), must go beyond ‘awareness’ and ‘willpower’ –mitigating bias requires tools that disrupt the cognitive and psychological factors that create bias in the first place.  

“For forensic science to successfully take on the issue of contextual bias, it is important that one correctly considers the risks, that measures are taken when needed, and that they are proportionate and appropriate” (taken from Dror, 2012).

Key Takeaways

• Humans are involved and are important in forensic decisions. 
• There are specific measures that can enhance forensic judgements.
• These involve not only in how meaning is assigned to the evidence, but also what the evidence is.
• Understanding the risks enables us to know if & when action is needed, and what is proportionate and appropriate. 

Who Should Attend

This webinar preview is for anyone whose work touches a forensic conclusion, not just the person who reaches it. That includes CSIs collecting the evidence, lab analysts and QA staff examining it, supervisors reviewing it, and the legal professionals who rely on it in court. Because cognitive bias doesn’t respect discipline lines, the discussion applies across forensic domains, and because it shapes judgment differently at every career stage, it’s just as relevant for someone new to the field as for an examiner with decades of casework behind them.