Misclassifications of Hispanics Using Fordisc 3.1: Comparing Cranial Morphology in Asian and Hispanic Populations†

TLDR: Results of this study confirm frequent rates of misclassification among Hispanic and Japanese groups and identify a close morphological relationship that may stem from similar population histories reflected in ancestral Native American and East Asian populations.

Abstract: It has been brought to the attention of the authors of Fordisc 3.1 that Hispanic samples will often misclassify as Japanese when Asian population samples are included. This study examined this problem in an effort to better document the occurrence and deduce possible causes via comparative analyses. Asian and Hispanic samples were first compared utilizing the existing samples from the University of Tennessee's Forensic Data Bank. Additional modern Japanese, Thai, and Korean samples collected by the first author that have previously not been utilized in analyses were subsequently included. Results of this study confirm frequent rates of misclassification among Hispanic and Japanese groups. Furthermore, a close morphological relationship is identified through further group comparisons and the addition of data used in conjunction with Fordisc samples. Similarities identified among Hispanic and Japanese crania may stem from similar population histories reflected in ancestral Native American and East Asian populations.