Ch. 9:Population Affinity

Population Affinity

• Refers “to measures of biological similarity between an individual and reference groups derived from populations” (p. 225)

• Often “involves interpreting skeletal variation within the context of…

The Concept of Race

• Race is not a biological reality

• Most human variation exists within population groups, not between them

  • Humans are a very homogenous species

• However, “race” has very real social implications (i.e., census, access to healthcare, education, etc.) 

Morphoscopic (Macromorphoscopic) Estimation

• Analyzes character states and traits of the skeleton (usually the skull)

  • Traits are associated with geographic variations

  • Systematically studied—interpretations are calculated statistically

• Optimized Summed Scored Attributes (OSSA)

• Decision tree modeling

Craniometric Estimation

• Measuring the dimensions of the skull and/or measurements

Fordisc

• A statistical program which “classifies the measurements of unknown skeletons based on their similarity with measurements of known individuals in the reference database” (p. 231)

  • Forensic Databank & Howell’s

• Estimates sex, stature, and population affinity