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An Ounce of Prevention: A Simple and Practical Tool for Mitigating Cognitive Bias in Forensic Decisions.

Conference/Workshop:
American Association of Forensic Sciences (AAFS)
Published: 2023
Primary Author: Adele Quigley-McBride
Secondary Authors: Itiel Dror, Tiffany Roy, Brandon Garrett, Jeff Kukucka

Learning Overview: The free information management toolkit described in this presentation will be introduced and attendees will learn to use this toolkit as a training tool and as a practical solution for analysts and laboratories interested in implementing the Linear Sequential Unmasking-Expanded (Dror & Kukucka, 2021).

Impact Statement: This freely available tool can guide analysts in their evaluation of case materials, encourage transparent and reliable decision-making, and serve as a training tool for forensic analysts and other legal professionals seeking guidance on judgment and decision-making processes in forensic analysis. In addition, by providing a framework for documenting and reporting their use of case information, this toolkit can protect analysts who are inadvertently exposed to task irrelevant information during their evaluation of evidence and who might face scrutiny while giving testimony.

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