Contextual bias by Forensic Document Examination trainees: An empirical study from China.
Sci Justice
; 64(4): 360-366, 2024 Jul.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39025561
ABSTRACT
The impact of contextual bias has been repeatedly demonstrated across forensic domains; however, research on this topic in China is scarce. To examine the prevalence of contextual bias in pattern feature-comparison disciplines, we conducted an experiment involving 24 forensic document examination students. The aim was to determine whether knowledge of different contextual information influenced their forensic decision-making. Participants were divided into different context groups and tasked with examining whether questioned signatures with ambiguous features matched reference signatures. The results of independent-samples t-tests for their decision score data in the two context groups exhibited a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05, Cohen's d > 0.8). Moreover, the submitted forensic reports by participants disclosed a biased evaluation of handwriting features. These findings show how contextual information can bias forensic decision-making in handwriting examination. Context management with complementary strategies such as case triage, cognitive training and decision-making transparency must be implemented to minimize bias in handwriting examination.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Toma de Decisiones
/
Ciencias Forenses
/
Escritura Manual
Límite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Justice
Asunto de la revista:
JURISPRUDENCIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article