Abstract
This chapter intends to remind the readers about some concepts that must be considered when selecting, applying, and consequently interpreting the results of a method in forensic anthropology. The different types of anthropological data (qualitative, ranked, or quantitative variables) and the concepts of accuracy, precision, trueness, reliability, and relevance and validity are discussed. These notions are crucial for method selection and evaluation, and their use is illustrated by presenting subadult aging method selection (“SAMS”), a tool designed to help forensic anthropologists to select and argue the choice of one over another method when estimating juvenile age at death. In addition, method selection and interpretation are discussed with the focus on three important issues: (1) hypothesis testing and interpretation, (2) the use of P-values, and (3) how errors and their meaning are considered.
Published Version
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