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.     

Peace Pedagogy and Interpretative Frameworks of Distrust: State–Society Relations in the Colombian Peace Process

The Havana Peace Accords of 2016 sought to end five decades of internal conflict in Colombia. As well as disarming the FARC, they promise to bring state institutions to abandoned regions and enable citizen participation. However, there is an obstacle to this which has consistently been overlooked by Juan Manuel Santos' government: a chronic distrust in the state dating back to colonialism. This article draws on ethnographic research with the Colombian government's ‘peace pedagogy’ team, tasked innovatively with educating citizens about the Havana Accords and incorporating them in the co-production of peace. It shows that citizens' learning about state policies, and reception of state efforts to shape that learning, are filtered through pre-existing perceptions of the state: in Colombia, interpretative frameworks of distrust. This ethnography illuminates state–society relations in the Colombian peace process, offering implications for ongoing implementation of the Accords, and posing questions for other countries in transition, arguing that historically-constituted perceptions of the state should be taken into account when communicating government policies to society.     

骨龄自动化评估的研究进展

骨龄是反映人体生长发育的一项重要指标,能够较为客观地反映个体生长发育水平及成熟度。传统的人工骨龄评估通常是将左手腕X线片与参考标准进行比较,从而获得相应的骨龄值,该方法既耗时又存在观察者间的差异。近年来,随着计算机科学的不断发展,促使骨龄评估开始由传统的人工评估向自动化评估转变。虽然骨龄自动化评估的研究已相当多,但大部分仍处于实验阶段。本文综述了近年来国内外学者在骨龄自动化评估方面的相关研究与进展,以期为相关研究人员提供参考与研究思路。     

人类学背景下的语言和言语研究--论语言人类学的研究视野

语言人类学的学科定义以及语言实践、言语行为、指引性和参与性等理论方法的研究视野加深了我们对语言的理解。把语言视作一种交际工具、一种思维模式、一种文化实践 ,即一种行为形式的语言观 ,使得这门边缘学科能够创造性地继续影响它所吸收养分的人文社会学科 ,同时对我们理解语言对于人类的意义有其独特的贡献。语言人类学是人类学背景下的语言和言语研究 ,是把语言作为文化源和言语作为文化实践的研究 ,是语言学的一种人类学阐释。     

历史人类学刍议

历史人类学是文化人类学的一门新兴边缘学科 ,由于这一新兴学科的研究领域是历史上的各民族文化 ,并且在研究过程中需要借助于大量的历史典籍资料 ,容易使人将其与历史学相混。历史人类学是一门具有特定研究领域并具有文化人类学研究传统的新兴分支学科 ,其实质与价值不可能被其他任何学科替代 ,其发展也不会损及其他学科 ,因而应当对这门新兴学科加以积极引进和消化吸收 ,早日形成本土化的中国历史人类学。     

社会区隔:旅游活动的文化社会学本质--一种基于布迪厄文化资本理论的解读

在布迪厄文化资本理论的认识架构内,旅游文化资本由其他类型的资本转换而来,可以区分为旅游文化能力、旅游文化产品和旅游文化制度三种形式.旅游文化资本的存在揭示了旅游活动的基本结构和其中隐含的权力动力学.旅游文化资本在某些条件下是人的社会竞争的有效资源,旅游活动只是社会区隔这一人的社会存在的本质目标的手段之一,社会区隔是旅游活动的文化社会学本质.     

腭皱法医学同一认定数字化系统的建立

目的建立腭皱法医学同一认定数字化系统并对其进行效果评价。方法在标准条件下获取腭皱的数字图像,对腭皱信息都进行采集、降噪、增强、分割、特征提取、边缘检测、信息匹配等处理,运用Matlab软件研制腭皱法医学同一认定系统,并进行效果评价。结果本研究成功建立腭皱法医学同一认定数字化系统,从匹配结果来看,正确率达到100%。结论腭皱法医学同一认定数字化系统的建立,为同一认定提供一种新的方法和途径。     

根据颈椎CT片特征指标进行同一认定的研究

目的选择颈椎CT片上的特征指标,建立逐步回归方程,探讨其在法医学同一认定中的应用价值。方法收集130名被检查者颈椎CT片各1张,70名被检查者不同次颈椎CT影像片各2张。选择并测量颈椎CT片上的13项指标值,分别计算被检查者随机分组后相同测量指标的组间差值,以及同一人不同次测量指标间的差值,运用二分类logistic逐步回归分析,建立各项指标的一元回归方程和多项指标的多元回归方程,并对方程进行盲测检验。结果建立的13个一元方程中同一认定的准确率在69.0%~90.4%之间;建立的4个多元回归方程的准确率在90.4%~96.7%之间,盲测准确率为100%。结论本文在CT片上选择的13项特征指标可以用于同一认定,使用时应尽可能选用多元指标以得到更准确的结果。