Date Submitted
9-22-2025
Faculty Advisor
Jason Malousek
Abstract
Bias is an important area of research in reference to the justice system. To date, a significant amount of research has been done on the bias and stigma the general population has toward the forensic population, but research is still lacking in measuring that bias among psychologists. Previous research has indicated that bias can be higher among those with higher levels of expertise within a field, which implies that those who are regarded as experts in mental illness may still be vulnerable to the influence of bias. The perceived presence of evaluator bias by those within the forensic population has been shown to create a negative and often adversarial relationship between the evaluator and the patient, which can complicate the evaluation and treatment process. An assessment of forensic inpatient facilities found that a positive therapeutic relationship reduces symptomatology and increases engagement with services and medication adherence. The current study examined the presence of psychologist bias toward the forensic population by using a 2x2 factorial design. Psychologists and psychology graduate students with experience in the forensic evaluation process were recruited through convenience sampling and separated into two groups (high expertise and low expertise) via education level. The participants were presented with a vignette of either a forensic inpatient or a non-forensic inpatient. Then they were given three self-report scales measuring negative attitudes, and their scores were summed and used to quantify the level of bias toward the patient. The participants were then asked to provide discharge recommendations. These scores were then analyzed via a two-way ANOVA. It was hypothesized that those with the forensic vignette will exhibit higher levels of bias and those with higher levels of expertise will also exhibit higher levels of bias.
