Introduction to Forensic Anthropology: Key Concepts and Methods

What is the primary focus of forensic anthropology?

The study of human skeletal remains in relation to the law.

What is the primary responsibility of forensic anthropologists?

To estimate demographic information for biological profiles from skeletal remains.

What additional responsibilities do forensic anthropologists have?

Assessing trauma, estimating time since death, recovering remains, and positive identification.

Who is known as the 'Father of Forensic Anthropology'?

Thomas Dwight

What notable case did forensic anthropology contribute to in 1849?

The Parkman murder, where a dismembered body was reassembled to estimate stature and age.

What significant publication did Wilton Krogman release in 1939?

A Guide to the Identification of Human Skeletal Material.

What organizations were established in the modern period of forensic anthropology?

The Physical Anthropology section of the AAFS in 1972 and the American Board of Forensic Anthropology in 1977.

What are the Daubert Standards?

Criteria for admissibility of expert testimony, including testability, peer review, known error rates, standard protocols, and acceptance in the scientific community.

What is the first question in the protocol for gathering forensic information?

Are the remains human?

What methods are used by forensic anthropologists to gather data?

Anthroposcopy, osteometry/metric methods, chemical methods, and histology.

What is a decision table used for in forensic anthropology?

To judge the importance of conflicting information and reach a conclusion.

What does a range chart provide in data analysis?

A visual representation of multiple ranges of estimates to determine a central tendency.

What is the purpose of a discriminant function in forensic anthropology?

To calculate group assignment from measurements.

How does a regression equation function in forensic anthropology?

It predicts the value of one characteristic based on the values of other characteristics.