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Analyzing the language used within forensic anthropology population affinity reporting
Thesis   Open access

Analyzing the language used within forensic anthropology population affinity reporting

Ilaisah Lynn Martinez
University of West Florida Libraries
Master of Arts (MA), University of West Florida
2023

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Abstract

Analyzing the Language used in Forensic Anthropology Population Affinity Reporting presents a mixed-methods analysis of the language used by forensic anthropologists when writing their reports on population affinity. This study focused on finding patterns in word usage that can impact the process of death investigation and human identification. An IRB-approved survey was sent to forensic anthropology students and professionals that consisted of three parts: respondent demographics, interpretation of outputs from the FORDISC population-affinity software, and respondent definitions and opinions of concepts including ancestry, ethnicity, population affinity, and race. To analyze the patterns found, SPSS was used to perform chi-squared tests between demographic-group differences among the codes that transformed qualitative data on population-affinity reporting into quantitative data. Hypothesis 1 held that the self-identified demographics of the respondents (e.g., age, gender, race) would impact their interpretations of the FORDISC outputs. Hypothesis 2 held that usage and definition of terms would lack standardization. There was minimal support for Hypothesis 1, with the only significant demographic effects being that older and more-experienced practitioners tended to use more conservative language in their reporting than younger and less-experienced practitioners (e.g., “estimated” vs. “determined”). Hypothesis 2 was supported by the diversity of reporting terminology used by respondents, their differing definitions of the key terms, and the fact that respondent-reported confidence levels did not actually correspond with the confidence language they used in their simulated reports (e.g., “estimated” versus “determined”). This research can be used to further clarify how forensic anthropologists define commonly used terms such as race, ethnicity, ancestry, and population affinity and the effects that their chosen language may have on (1) positive identifications, (2) public knowledge, and (3) advancing conversation on language standardization within the field.
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