How Investigators Address Cognitive Biases
Laura was an administrator of a large school who considered herself fair and unbiased. However, when assigning tasks, Laura gave the more strategic roles to her male team members, assuming they were better equipped to handle high-pressure decision-making. Meanwhile, she tasked her female employees with logistical and support roles.
Over time, the uneven distribution of opportunities affected morale. Employees became less engaged and their work performance declined. Once Laura realized she had an unconscious bias, she implemented regular reviews to ensure everyone had opportunities to lead and grow, regardless of their gender. The damage would take time to repair, but Laura had taken the first step in addressing her bias.
As investigators, objectivity is a crucial tool we use in uncovering the facts, but even the most seasoned professionals can be influenced by unconscious biases.
Addressing these biases is essential to ensuring thorough, accurate, and fair investigations. By recognizing personal prejudices and learning strategies to mitigate their effects, investigators can improve their credibility and effectiveness.
What is bias?
Bias is a prejudice–known or unknown–in favor of or against a thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way that is considered unfair. Biases can be innate or learned.
There are several types of biases, including:
Cognitive Bias: A deviation from rationality in judgment, where individuals create their own "subjective reality" based on their perceptions and experiences.
For example, Kelly, a school resource officer (SRO), was investigating a weapon found on school grounds. A teacher told the SRO they saw a student–who had been in trouble before–loitering near where the weapon was located. Kelly then focused her efforts on that student. As the investigation progressed, she began interpreting evidence in ways that supported her initial suspicion. This led to important evidence, such as a witness statement pointing to a different suspect, not being fully investigated.
Social Bias: Prejudices or stereotypes that affect social behavior and judgments, often leading to unfair treatment based on race, gender, age, or other characteristics.
At a tech startup, Jeff often assumed his younger colleagues were more tech-savvy than older team members. During a system upgrade, he assigned the troubleshooting tasks to younger staff while sidelining Ellen, a senior employee with years of IT experience. Ellen felt undervalued and frustrated, and the team struggled without her expertise. When the project lagged behind schedule, Jeff realized his assumption about age and tech skills was a social bias.
Media Bias: Information is presented with a slant to favor certain perspectives.
A news outlet covering a local election heavily featured positive stories about one candidate while highlighting negative aspects of their opponent. Viewers noticed the imbalance and questioned the outlet's credibility. By prioritizing selective coverage, the outlet unintentionally influenced public perception, creating an unfair advantage for one candidate.
Bias can impact fairness and objectivity, leading to decisions that may not be based on the facts. Biases could also potentially impact an investigation–whether you are aware of them or not. This is why it’s imperative for investigators to learn how to identify and manage their own biases.
Understanding bias
Recognizing and addressing biases begins with self-awareness. One strategy is to engage in regular self-reflection, and ask whether your assumptions are based on facts or beliefs. Additionally, it’s important to rely primarily on data and evidence, rather than solely on instincts, when drawing conclusions.
Investigators must remain committed to lifelong learning, especially when it comes to understanding and reducing bias. At Prism Investigations, we’re continually challenging ourselves and our beliefs, in order to become better investigators. We do this by being open to any new evidence that might arise during a case, collaborating with others, and continually examining our work.
Continuing education is crucial because biases evolve and manifest in new ways as societal attitudes and cultural norms shift. Staying informed about the latest research and methodologies related to bias helps investigators enhance their objectivity. By participating in bias-reduction training, attending workshops, or reading relevant studies, our investigators can sharpen their skills and mitigate the risk of bias impacting their work. This ongoing education benefits our investigators and clients because it helps ensure our investigations are free from unchecked biases or assumptions.
Addressing biases has significant advantages for investigators and their clients. As investigators, it enhances our credibility and professional reputation, and clients can trust that our work is impartial and fact-based and that they’re receiving an objective and thorough investigation. Ultimately, addressing bias is a win-win for all parties involved.
Minimizing bias
Bias is an inherent human trait, but investigators must take proactive steps to address it. Our team believes that through self-reflection, collaboration, evidence-based practices, and continued education, investigators can reduce the impact of bias on their work.
At Prism Investigations, we embrace the opportunity to address and mitigate our biases, so we are able to deliver professional and unbiased investigations.
Reach out to the Prism Investigations team for help with conducting fair and objective investigations.
