The cognitive underpinnings of bias in forensic mental health evaluations.

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 20(3) of Psychology, Public Policy, and Law (see record 2014-30730-002). This article contained an error that ironically demonstrates the very point of the article: that cognitive biases can easily lead to error—even by people who are highly attuned to and motivated to avoid bias. The authors inadvertently misapplied base rates by failing to account for nested probabilities in the illustration of how Bayesian analysis works in footnote 2 (p. 203).] We integrate multiple domains of psychological science to identify, better understand, and manage the effects of subtle but powerful biases in forensic mental health assessment. This topic is ripe for discussion, as research evidence that challenges our objectivity and credibility garners increased attention both within and outside of psychology. We begin by defining bias and provide rich examples from the judgment and decision-making literature as they might apply to forensic assessment tasks. The cognitive biases we review can help us explain common problems in interpretation and judgment that confront forensic examiners. This leads us to ask (and attempt to answer) how we might use what we know about bias in forensic clinicians’ judgment to reduce its negative effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)