Application of the Optimized Summed Scored Attributes Method to Sex Estimation in Asian Crania

• Published in: Journal of forensic sciences Vol. 63; no. 3; pp. 809 - 814
• Main Authors: Tallman, Sean D., Go, Matthew C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2018
• Subjects: Asian Continental Ancestry Group; biological profile; Female; Females; Forensic anthropology; Forensic Anthropology - methods; Humans; Male; Males; nonmetric traits; optimized summed scored attributes; Predictive Value of Tests; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sex; Sex Determination by Skeleton - methods; sex estimation; Skull - anatomy & histology; biological profile; forensic anthropology; optimized summed scored attributes; nonmetric traits; sex estimation
• ISSN: 0022-1198; 1556-4029
• DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13644

The optimized summed scored attributes (OSSA) method was recently introduced and validated for nonmetric ancestry estimation between American Black and White individuals. The method proceeds by scoring, dichotomizing, and subsequently summing ordinal morphoscopic trait scores to maximize between‐group differences. This study tests the applicability of the OSSA method for sex estimation using five cranial traits given the methodological similarities between classifying sex and ancestry. A large sample of documented crania from Japan and Thailand (n = 744 males, 320 females) are used to develop a heuristically selected OSSA sectioning point of ≤1 separating males and females. This sectioning point is validated using a holdout sample of Japanese, Thai, and Filipino (n = 178 males, 82 females) individuals. The results indicate a general correct classification rate of 82% using all five traits, and 81% when excluding the mental eminence. Designating an OSSA score of 2 as indeterminate is recommended.