Gordon G M, Steyn M
Division of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences.
School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown 2193, South Africa.
Forensic Sci Int. 2016 May;262:287.e1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.01.030. Epub 2016 Feb 1.
A recent review paper on cranio-facial superimposition (CFS) stated that "there have been specific conceptual variances" from the original methods used in the practice of skull-photo superimposition, leading to poor results as far as accuracy is concerned. It was argued that the deviations in the practice of the technique have resulted in the reduced accuracies (for both failure to include and failure to exclude) that are noted in several recent studies. This paper aims to present the results from recent research to highlight the advancement of skull-photo/cranio-facial superimposition, and to discuss some of the issues raised regarding deviations from original techniques. The evolving methodology of CFS is clarified in context with the advancement of technology, forensic science and specifically within the field of forensic anthropology. Developments in the skull-photo/cranio-facial superimposition techniques have largely focused on testing reliability and accuracy objectively. Techniques now being employed by forensic anthropologists must conform to rigorous scientific testing and methodologies. Skull-photo/cranio-facial superimposition is constantly undergoing accuracy and repeatability testing which is in line with the principles of the scientific method and additionally allows for advancement in the field. Much of the research has indicated that CFS is useful in exclusion which is consistent with the concept of Popperian falsifiability - a hypothesis and experimental design which is falsifiable. As the hypothesis is disproved or falsified, another evolves to replace it and explain the new observations. Current and future studies employing different methods to test the accuracy and reliability of skull-photo/cranio-facial superimposition will enable researchers to establish the contribution the technique can have for identification purposes.
最近一篇关于颅面叠加（CFS）的综述文章指出，颅骨照片叠加实践中所使用的方法与原始方法存在“特定的概念差异”，就准确性而言，这导致了较差的结果。有人认为，该技术实践中的偏差导致了近期多项研究中所指出的准确性降低（包括未能纳入和未能排除的情况）。本文旨在展示近期研究的结果，以突出颅骨照片/颅面叠加技术的进展，并讨论与原始技术偏差相关的一些问题。随着技术、法医学尤其是法医人类学领域的发展，CFS不断演变的方法得以阐明。颅骨照片/颅面叠加技术的发展主要集中在客观测试可靠性和准确性方面。法医人类学家目前采用的技术必须符合严格的科学测试和方法。颅骨照片/颅面叠加技术一直在进行准确性和可重复性测试，这符合科学方法的原则，并且还推动了该领域的发展。许多研究表明，CFS在排除方面很有用，这与波普尔可证伪性的概念一致——一种可证伪的假设和实验设计。随着假设被证伪或推翻，另一种假设会演变出来取代它并解释新的观察结果。目前和未来采用不同方法测试颅骨照片/颅面叠加技术准确性和可靠性的研究，将使研究人员能够确定该技术在身份识别方面的作用。
