Affiliation:
1. Center for Neurocognition and Behavior Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
2. Department of Comparative Medicine Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
3. Global Forensic and Justice Center Florida International University Miami Florida USA
Abstract
AbstractForensic examiners make important decisions to address legal questions, yet there is now ample evidence that their decisions can be subjective and inconsistent. This commentary suggests that elements of deliberate practice may help in not only having more consistent forensic decisions but also toward expected accuracy. Specifically, four elements of deliberate practice: (1) setting a goal, (2) motivation, (3) feedback, and (4) repetition are outlined with examples for addressing issues of cognitive bias and managing stress at work. If any of these elements are missing, such as delayed or no feedback, then suboptimal or no improvement of examiners' decision‐making may result. This tool for deliberately improving decision‐making may be applicable to other legal professionals; thus, potentially driving policies that may help enhance the criminal justice system broadly.