Occupational Socialization's Role in Forensic Psychologists' Objectivity

This report integrated quantitative and qualitative methods across two studies to compile descriptive information about forensic psychologists' occupational socialization and its relation to objectivity. After interviewing 20 board-certified forensic psychologists, we surveyed 334 forensic psychologists about their socialization into the field. Results indicated that occupational socialization, including socialization about objectivity, varied widely across time and situation as the field developed. Three hypotheses regarding occupational socialization were supported. It was positively associated with years of experience, belief in one's ability to be objective, and endorsement of the usefulness of various bias correction strategies. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.