Metric forensic anthropology decisions: Reliability and biasability of sectioning-point-based sex estimates

Subjective decisions make human cognitive processes more susceptible to bias and error. Specifically, research indicates that additional context biases forensic anthropologists’ morphological analyses. To address whether metric analyses are also subject to bias, we conducted a pilot study in which 52 experienced osteologists measured a difficult-to-classify human femur, with or without additional contextual information. Using a metric sectioning-point sex-estimation method, participants provided a sex estimate for individual skeletal element(s) and, when given multiple elements, the combined skeletal assemblage. Control group participants (n = 24) measured only the femur. In addition to the femur, bias group participants (n = 28) either measured a female humerus and viewed a female-biasing photograph (n = 14) or measured a male humerus and viewed a male-biasing photograph (n = 14). We explored whether the experts in the different groups would differ in: (1) femoral measurements; (2) femoral sex-estimation conclusions; and (3) final sex-estimation conclusions for the skeletal assemblage. Although the femoral measurements and femoral sex estimates were comparable across groups, the overall sex estimates in the female-biased group were impacted by contextual information—differing from both the control and male-biased groups (p < 0.001). Our results demonstrate that cognitive bias can occur even in metric sex-estimation conclusions. Specifically, this occurred when the metric data and single-element sex estimates were synthesized into an overall estimate. Thus, our results suggest that metric methods are most vulnerable to bias when data are synthesized into an overall conclusion, highlighting the need for bias countermeasures and comprehensive statistical frameworks for synthesizing metric data to mitigate the effects of cognitive bias.     

司法公开的价值与配套制度

随着我国加入WTO,法律制度全球化又一次地提上了议事日程,而司法公开又是我国法律制度全球化的突破口。司法公开的价值主要体现在其与司法改革的三大目标——司法公正、司法效率和司法独立的关系上。目前完善我国司法公开还需要一定的配套制度。     

大陆、台湾刑法中保安处分制度比较研究

我国 1997年新刑法的颁布 ,标志着我国的刑事实体法又上了一个新的台阶。保安处分制度是现代西方刑法理论和刑法制度的重要组成部分。在刑法修改以前 ,是否应该将该制度引入我国的刑事立法体系 ,引起了我国学者的广泛讨论。本文通过对台湾刑法中的保安处分制度和大陆法律中类似于保安处分制度的保安性措施进行比较分析 ,旨在论证将保安处分制度引入我国大陆刑法的可行性。     

我国劳动基准实施中存在的问题及对策探析

我国劳动基准实施中存在着劳动者的生命健康权、生存权以及休息休假权等肆意遭受侵害的现象,探询其中存在的深层次原因,并积极寻求扭转我国劳动基准实施困境的对策.     

论刑事强制措施的完善

在我国的法制建设过程中,现行的刑事强制措施的作用是功不可没的。但是随着民主法制进程的不断推进,尤其是将“建设社会主义法治国家”、“保障人权”等法制建设的目标通过宪法确认后,强制措施在新的法律价值标准下,也显现出了从制度建设到程序设计及实施诸方面的缺陷和不足,应该进行深入的研究分析,使其得到补充和完善。     

论我国社会分化中的社会问题

我国社会的快速分化衍生了一些复杂的问题。这些问题具有叠加性、连锁性等特征,必须通过加强社会整合机制建设、调整社会政策等多种手段才能有效解决。     

关于行政诉讼强制措施的几点思考

文章通过对行政诉讼强制措施的范畴、对象及适用进行分析 ,从理论上提出了完善行政诉讼强制措施的一些构想。     

论创造型科技人才的培养措施

目前高等学校的教育教学存在诸多弊端,严重阻碍了创造型人才的培养。为了更好地确定高校教育教学改革的方向,在对河北省6所高校大学生调查的基础上,从创造性人才培养的角度提出了高校教学改革的几点措施:改变教学内容过于陈旧,知识体系缺少整合的现象,为学生创新奠定基础;改变陈旧的教学方法,扩展课堂教学的范围;建立科学的评价体系;全面提高教师素质;努力营造良好的校园文化氛围。     

试论影响法官职业道德建设的因素及其对策

强化法官职业道德教育,全面提高法官的思想道德素质,是塑造人民法院新形象的必由之路。加强法官职业道德建设既是一项长期任务,也是当前紧迫的工作。