A Study of the Accuracy and Reliability of Sex Estimation
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A STUDY OF THE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF SEX ESTIMATION METHODS OF THE HUMAN PELVIS ____________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Chico ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Anthropology ____________ by Brenna Kay Blanchard Spring 2010 A STUDY OF THE ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF SEX ESTIMATION METHODS OF THE HUMAN PELVIS A Thesis by Brenna Kay Blanchard Spring 2010 APPROVED BY THE INTERIM DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE, INTERNATIONAL, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: _________________________________ Mark J. Morlock, Ph.D. APPROVED BY THE GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: _________________________________ Eric J. Bartelink, Ph.D., Chair _________________________________ Beth S. Shook, Ph.D. DEDICATION To my mom, for all of the sacrifices she made to help me get this far and for always believing in me. ———— In loving memory of my grandpa, Michael Joseph Nugent. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of my thesis would not have been possible without the help of my committee, Dr. Eric Bartelink and Dr. Beth Shook. Their insights and guidance have been invaluable. I truly appreciate all of the time they put into reading drafts of chapters and offering helpful comments and suggestions, even while juggling very busy schedules. I would also like to thank Kristin Chelotti, as the interobserver error portion of this thesis could not have been completed without her help. When she discovered that I needed someone to collect data to compare with my own, she generously offered her time and energy while working and writing her own thesis. Thanks to Shannon Clinkinbeard for access to the CSU-Chico Human Identification Lab, and David Philhour for his help running kappa tests with SPSS. Thank you to the Anthropology Department of California State University, Chico. I am grateful to have experienced the rigorous and rewarding educational benefits of being a graduate student in this department. The decision to become part of this department has been one of the best decisions in my life. Thanks are also due to Dr. Lee Meadows Jantz and Rebecca Wilson for access to the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection, and to the Anthropology Department at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I am also thankful to Guest Housing at UTK, for providing a safe place to stay on campus for the duration of my data collection in an unfamiliar city. iv I am also grateful to my cohort of graduate students for all of the love, friendship, and support we have shared over the last four years. I am so happy to call these individuals my friends, and each of them has contributed something significant to my life. I know that these friendships will be a part of my life for many years to come. Of course I also want to thank my husband, Lance Blanchard, for all of the love and support. In addition to being a fellow graduate student, he is also my best friend, emotional support, sounding board, and the tireless cheerleader who believes I can (and will) do anything I put my mind to. I must also thank the 227 individuals in my sample who donated their remains (or were donated by others) to further our scientific knowledge. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Dedication................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... iv List of Tables.............................................................................................................. viii List of Figures............................................................................................................. ix Abstract....................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I. Introduction.............................................................................................. 1 Hypotheses ................................................................................... 2 Outline of Thesis .......................................................................... 3 II. Literature Review..................................................................................... 6 Sex Estimation.............................................................................. 6 Metric Methods of Sex Estimation............................................... 9 Morphological Methods of Sex Estimation.................................. 20 The Current Research................................................................... 26 Conclusion.................................................................................... 27 III. Materials and Methods ............................................................................. 28 Source and Demography of Materials.......................................... 28 Methods ........................................................................................ 30 Statistics........................................................................................ 39 IV. Observer Error Results ............................................................................. 46 Introduction .................................................................................. 46 Intraobserver Error ....................................................................... 47 vi CHAPTER PAGE Interobserver Error ....................................................................... 52 Summary and Conclusions........................................................... 56 V. Method Results......................................................................................... 59 Introduction .................................................................................. 59 Results .......................................................................................... 60 Summary and Conclusions........................................................... 102 VI. Discussion................................................................................................. 104 Introduction .................................................................................. 104 Reliability ..................................................................................... 105 Accuracy....................................................................................... 110 The Revised Bruzek Method........................................................ 114 Legal Significance........................................................................ 117 Summary and Conclusions........................................................... 118 VII. Conclusions .............................................................................................. 121 Summary....................................................................................... 121 Limitations.................................................................................... 126 Implications .................................................................................. 126 Conclusions .................................................................................. 127 Literature Cited........................................................................................................... 129 Appendices A. Data: Standards for Data Collection........................................................ 138 B. Data: Bruzek............................................................................................. 149 C. Data: Maximum Diameter of the Acetabulum ......................................... 163 vii LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Intraobserver Error Results....................................................................... 48 2. Interobserver Error Results....................................................................... 53 3. Results for Morphological Methods ......................................................... 61 4. Percentages of Correct Classifications and Misclassifications for Females Using Morphological Methods...................................... 62 5. Percentages of Correct Classifications and Misclassifications for Males Using Non-Metric Methods .............................................. 63 6. Results for the Revised Bruzek Method ................................................... 96 7. Results for the Acetabulum Method ......................................................... 100 viii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Greater Sciatic Notch Scoring Criteria from Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains ................................ 31 2. Ventral Arc, Subpubic Concavity, and Ischiopubic Ramus Ridge Scoring Criteria from Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains .......................................................... 32 3. Preauricular Sulcus Scoring Criteria from Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains ......................................... 33 4. Male Preauricular Area............................................................................. 34 5. Female Preauricular Area.......................................................................... 35 6. Male Greater Sciatic Notch....................................................................... 36 7. Female Greater Sciatic Notch................................................................... 37 8. Male Composite Arch............................................................................... 38 9. Female Composite Arch ..........................................................................