INVESTIGADORES
VARELA Hector Hugo
artículos
Título:
Una Técnica Numérica Para la Determinación del Sexo en Poblaciones Prehistóricas del Norte de Chile
Autor/es:
VARELA, H.H.; VALDANO, S.G.; COCILOVO, J.A.
Revista:
Antropología Biológica
Editorial:
Asociación Latinoamericana de Antropología Biológica
Referencias:
Lugar: Santiago; Año: 1991 vol. 1 p. 49 - 61
Resumen:
Sex determination in prehistoric human remains usually based upon the
macroscopic examination of gross morphology features, thus incorporating
a great amount of uncertainty which depends on the expression os sexual
dimorphism and expertise of the researcher. This paper presents a more
objective approach for sex estimation based on the use of a discriminant
analysis function technique. A number of cranial measurements not
influences by artificial deformation were measured in a random sample of
prehistoric groups from Northern Chile (115 male and 93 female).
Measurements in relation to the face, skull and cranium as a whole, were
computerized. In each case the original group of variable was
statistically evaluated in order to know the distribution of each
variable (normality test), the homogeneity of the variances and mean
values between sex (test for homocedasticity and differences between
means) and its discriminant power (increment of the D function). In this
manner we obtained a reliable subset of variables for the construction
of the discriminant functions. When considering each region separately,
83 to 87% of the crania were correctly placed, when using the entire
cranium (face plus skull) accuracy increased from 90 to 92%. With this
works we developed a simple computer program for sex determination in
materials of the same region from which our sample came. This program
can be requested from any the authors of this paper.