Simply Forensic Reference Library

Cognitive Bias

Quality, Validation & Reliability

Definition. Systematic influence on perception or judgment from expectations, prior beliefs or contextual information rather than from the relevant evidence alone.

How the term is used

Context-management policies and independent reviews can help control avoidable bias in forensic decisions.

Forensic example

An examiner sees an irrelevant confession statement before evaluating an ambiguous comparison.

Interpretation limitation

Cognitive bias is not equivalent to intentional misconduct.

References and further reading

NIST OSAC forensic terminology. The explanation and example are original educational summaries; consult the cited material and current laboratory guidance for authoritative application.

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