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Category: Project

Description: Police investigators are expected to examine evidence: eyewitness’ statements, suspect statement, technical evidence (medical or trace evidence), reliably and objectively. Therefore, professionals must be able to dissociate themselves from extraneous context and other influences which potentially interfere with their ability to objectively examine, evaluate and judge the relevant information. However, forensic experts such as police investigators are prone to confirmation bias (Charman, 2013; Kassin, Dror, & Kukucka, 2013). Confirmation bias is expected when forensic experts evaluate and integrate various types of evidence (Charman, 2003). Based on previous findings on the proneness to confirmation bias, we will design an experimental study in which CSA police investigators will be assigned to a bias versus no bias condition. All police investigators will receive a case vignette on CSA in which statements of a young (5 years old) and older child (15 years old) concerning abuse are included. In the bias condition, police interviewers receive extra domain-irrelevant information under the theme either good character or bad character as a child. In this witness statement, As a bad or naughty child is described that the child has often lied about being abused in the past and also demonstrated naughty behavior. On the other hand, as a good child, there are extra information that the child is a nice girl: good academic achievement, obedient and practicing religious very well The other group will not receive this information. Following this, the police officers have to answer questions concerning the credibility of the statements and which type of questions they want to ask in a follow-up interview. It is expected that the bias group mainly the bad girl information, will perceive the statements as less credible and will be least likely to use open invitations in follow-up interviews.