Order of Hierarchical Complexity ("Stage") of Items Used to Measure Forensic Experts' Perceptions of Expert Bias Predicts the Amount of Bias

This article will show that developmental stage will account for the biasing value of items used to test expert witness bias. Bias is usually thought of as a dependent variable to be described and predicted. In the simplest sense, bias represents a deviation from having a neutral value ascribed to a choice. It therefore represents value. In psychology and economics it is a choice-outcome–related dependent variable that alters the rating or probability of an action. Hence it belongs to the Behavioral Economics “value/ reinforcement” paradigm. In behavioral economics, all bias reflects the probability of making a response (or the tendency to make a response) based on perceived value of the outcome. The more often one does something that has a positive outcome, the higher the value of doing it. This is true whether an expert is aware of this effect or not. Stage of development is usually thought of as also a dependent variable, but here it will be used as an independent variable to predict bias.