Estimating Ancestry Flashcards
What is the biological profile?
an estimate of demographic information including ancestry, sex, age, and stature
What is the main duty of a forensic anthropologist?
establishing the biological profile
TRUE or FALSE: there are patterns that exist based on sex, stature, ancestry, and age
TRUE
Biological Race
distinct groups supposedly determined by observed physical features and used to legitimize and maintain inequality
Ancestry
your line of descent (genes & ancestors); typically contextualized using national, ethnic, and/or racial labels
TRUE or FALSE: there are pure ethnic groups, races, and ancestral groups
FALSE
There ___ and ___ some degree of gene flow.
is; has always been
Groups and group identity ___.
change over time
TRUE or FALSE: biological races do not exist and are not supported by science
TRUE
TRUE or FALSE: racial determinism does exist and is supported by science
FALSE
Racial Determinism
race determines other characteristics about a person
Racism
a prejudice against someone based on race, when those prejudices are reinforced by systems of power
Typology
an approach of studying nature by classifying different phenomena and organisms into general types
Impact of Carl Linnaeus
created the organism classification system we use today
Impact of Samuel Morton
tried and failed at using cranial measurements to prove human races were distinct, unrelated groups
Impact of Franz Boas
published “Changes in Bodily Form of Descendants of Immigrants”; meant to inform immigration policy but discovered that the skull changed a lot between generations
Impact of Earnest Hooton
known for his research into criminal anthropology and the eugenics movement
Eugenics
trying to breed better humans; most popular in the early 1900s
TRUE or FALSE: research in forensic anthropology immediately changed focus from human races to human variation after WWII
FALSE
What frequency of variation is found within population groups?
85-90%
Criminal Anthropology
using physical differences to predict criminality
What frequency of variation is found between population groups?
10-15%
Human genetics and skeletal diversity show ___.
geographic patterning
What does the statement “the genes and traits that best show patterns of populations history are selectively neutral” mean?
the traits are not impacted by natural selection
TRUE or FASLE: there is no gene or trait for ancestry or race
TRUE
TRUE or FALSE: race is a social construct with social and biological constructs
TRUE
Ancestry is ___ using probabilistic statistical analysis.
estimated
Ancestry reflect genetic patterns in ___ and ___ history.
population; migration
Anthropologists contextualize ___ estimate with how ___ labels are applied locally.
ancestry; labels
What are the two methods of estimating ancestry?
non-metric (morphoscopic) traits and metric (measurements)
Can ancestry be estimated from juvenile remains?
No!
TRUE or FALSE: traits used for ancestry estimated are discrete
FALSE
Are single traits found exclusively in only one population?
No!
What are the benefits of analysis with morphoscopic traits?
can be used on fragmentary remains and are relatively easy to use
What are the drawbacks of analysis with morphoscopic traits?
can be highly subjective based on experience and older methods do not used combined patterns of population frequency data
How is the anterior nasal spine cateogorized?
by the protrusion of the lower nose bone
How is the interior nasal aperture categorized?
by the roundedness of the lower nose cross section
How is nasal aperture width cateogorized?
by the width of the nostril area
How is nasal bone contour categorized?
by how steep the bridge of the nose is
How is interorbital breadth categorized?
by how wide the bridge of the nose to the eyes is
How is the post-bregmatic depression cateogorized?
by the existence of the decrompression
What are two other non-metric traits sometimes used to estimate ancestry?
shovel-shaped incisors and the curvature of the femoral shaft (limited accuracy)
Can we use single traits to estimate ancestry?
No!
Statistical methods used still assume ___ groups.
discrete (NOT true)
Metric Methods
use cranial landmarks to take traditional measurements or record 3D landmark data
Are non-metric or metric methods more objective?
metric methods
Why can metric methods be problamatic? (three reasons)
measurements are sometimes ambiguous, limitations in reference samples, assumption of statistical methods
What tool is used to measure the brain case?
spreading calipers
What tool is used to measure the face?
sliding calipers
What are two older methods of metric measurement?
- using the indexes of the nose 2. measuring the angle of the intercondylar shelf
Linear Discriminant Functional Analysis
Statistical procedure that sorts individuals into groups using multiple criteria
What does discriminant functional analysis emphasize?
the differences between the groups
What was a major drawback of the original discriminant function?
had to have all the measurements before you started
What is the main advantage of 3D-ID and FORDISC?
Customizable!
What are the two things that discriminant functional analysis assumes?
- the unknown belongs to one of the given reference groups 2. the reference groups are discrete
What is 3D-ID?
the use of a 3D digitizer to record x, y, and z coordinates of a landmark for analysis
What important statistics are returned via 3D-ID and FORDISC?
probability and typicality
What does FORDISC use as data?
traditional craniometric measurements
What are the three drawbacks of 3D-ID and FORDISC?
- assumes discrete groups 2. strongly relies on quality reference samples and measurements 3. reference samples are limited
What is important to recognize about using any form of metric data analysis?
interpretation is still required!
