Abstract
Thirty-eight participants took part in a study that investigated the potential cascading effects of initial exposure to extraneous context upon subsequent decision-making. Participants investigated a mock crime scene, which included the excavation of clandestine burials that had a male skeletal cast dressed either in female or gender neutral clothing. This was followed by a forensic anthropological assessment of the skeletal remains, with a control group assessing the same male skeletal cast without any clothing context. The results indicated that the sex assessment was highly dependent upon the context in which participants were exposed to prior to the analysis. This was especially noticeable in the female clothing context where only one participant determined the male skeletal cast to be male. The results demonstrate the importance of understanding the role of context in forensic anthropology at an early stage of an investigation and its potential cascading effect on subsequent assessments.
Highlights
Thirty-eight participants took part in a study that investigated the potential cascading effects of initial exposure to extraneous context upon subsequent decision-making
The results demonstrate the importance of understanding the role of context in forensic anthropology at an early stage of an investigation and its potential cascading effect on subsequent assessments
Control versus Group 1 and Group 2—The chi-square was used to compare the Control group to both crime scene groups (Group 1 and Group 2) in order to see whether there was a significant difference between the groups as a function of the “extraneous” contextual information
Summary
Thirty-eight participants took part in a study that investigated the potential cascading effects of initial exposure to extraneous context upon subsequent decision-making. Participants investigated a mock crime scene, which included the excavation of clandestine burials that had a male skeletal cast dressed either in female or gender neutral clothing This was followed by a forensic anthropological assessment of the skeletal remains, with a control group assessing the same male skeletal cast without any clothing context. It has been argued that there is benefit in exposing the scientist to contextual information and that mitigating bias by detaching the science from the criminal process is a disadvantage [21]. Others suggest that such exposure is good for motivating forensic examiners and for their “personal satisfaction” [22].
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have