Cognitive Bias and Facial Depiction from Skeletal Remains

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Caroline Wilkinson

The human face is physically, psychologically, and socially significant, and facial appearance is crucial to social identity. Therefore, the facial depiction of people from the past is a useful tool for the social interpretation of archaeological remains. However, scientific assumptions surrounding the interpretation of ancient remains influence how the individual is depicted, and facial depictions can contribute to and perpetuate confirmation bias. The primary goals of facial depiction of people from the past are humanistic; re-socializing, and re-personifying, and these aims may create an environment where the interests of the museum visitor influence the level of realism presented in a facial depiction, even where there is little evidence to justify many facial details. Enhanced levels of realism have led to the depiction of character and personality through facial expression. Facial depictions will also influence popular notions of race and gender identity, and the application of contemporary gender and population characteristics to ancient populations may not be justifiable. Facial depiction practitioners should be aware of cognitive bias in their work and make all attempts to avoid the effects. Practitioners should be involved in the decision-making process around the presentation of these exhibits in museums or by the police. El rostro humano es fisica, psicologica y socialmente significativo y la apariencia facial es crucial para la identidad social. Por lo tanto, la representacion del rostro de personas del pasado es una herramienta util para la interpretacion social de los restos arqueologicos. Sin embargo, las presunciones que los cientificos toman entorno a la interpretacion de los restos antiguos influyen en como se representa al individuo, asi como las representaciones faciales pueden contribuir y perpetuar el sesgo de confirmacion. Los objetivos principales de la representacion facial de personas del pasado son humanistas; re-socializar y re-personificar. Estos objetivos pueden crear un entorno donde los intereses del visitante del museo influyen en el grado de realismo presentado en una representacion facial, incluso cuando las evidencias son pocas para justificar muchos detalles faciales. Los niveles mejorados de realismo han llevado a la representacion del personaje y la personalidad a traves de la expresion facial. Las representaciones faciales tambien influiran en las nociones populares de identidad de raza y genero, y la aplicacion de las caracteristicas contemporaneas de genero y poblacion a las poblaciones antiguas puede no ser justificable. Los profesionales que crean las representaciones faciales deben ser conscientes del sesgo cognitivo en su trabajo y hacer todo lo posible para evitar los efectos. Los profesionales deben participar en el proceso de toma de decisiones en torno a la presentacion de estas exhibiciones en museos o por la policia.

Author(s):  
Kai Erikson

This book is a masterful introduction to, and appreciation of, sociology as a window into our world. The culmination of a distinguished career, and a fascinating exploration into the nature of human social life, the book describes the field of sociology as a way of looking at the world rather than as a simple gathering of facts about it. It notes that sociologists look out at the same human scenes as poets, historians, economists, or any other observers of the vast social landscape spread out before them, but select different aspects of that vast panorama to focus on and attend to. The book considers how sociology became a field of study, and how it has turned its attention over time to new areas of study such as race and gender and what the book calls “social speciation.” The book provides readers with new ways of The Individual and the Social thinking about human culture and social life.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-31
Author(s):  
Amy Kim

The introductory graphic represents the identity conflict that the author experiences daily. The terms represent labels assigned to the author in the past, the barriers that Autistic people must constantly overcome, and some of the social rules the author has very consciously and intentionally adopted to "fit in" with society. The accompanying experience piece outlines some of the difficulties the author has experienced that suggest that there needs to be more awareness in Canadian society regarding autism and intersectionality. Anecdotally, there appears to be a need for increased access to diagnostic and clinical services across Canada for women across the spectrum, and further investigation into how disability, race, and gender interact. 


1996 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Krasner

Although Aida Overton Walker (1880–1914) belonged to the same generation of turn-of-the-century African American performers as did Bob Cole, J. Rosamond Johnson, Bert Williams, and George Walker, she had a rather different view of how best to represent her race and gender in the performing arts. Walker taught white society in New York City how to do the Cakewalk, a celebratory dance with links to West African festival dance. In Walker's choreography of it, it was reconfigured with some ingenuity to accommodate race, gender, and class identities in an era in which all three were in flux. Her strategy depended on being flexible, on being able to make the transition from one cultural milieu to another, and on adjusting to new patterns of thinking. Walker had to elaborate her choreography as hybrid, merging her interpretation of cakewalking with the preconceptions of a white culture that became captivated by its form. To complicate matters, Walker's choreography developed during a particularly unstable and volatile period. As Anna Julia Cooper remarked in 1892.


Author(s):  
Panagiotis Delis

Abstract The aim of this paper is to examine the functionality of impoliteness strategies as rhetorical devices employed by acclaimed African American and White hip-hop artists. It focuses on the social and artistic function of the key discursive element of hip-hop, namely aggressive language. The data for this paper comprise songs of US African American and White performers retrieved from the November 2017 ‘TOP100 Chart’ for international releases on Spotify.com. A cursory look at the sub-corpora (Black male/ Black female/ White male/ White female artists’ sub-corpus) revealed the prominence of the ‘use taboo words’ impoliteness strategy. The analysis of impoliteness instantiations by considering race and gender as determining factors in the lyrics selection process unveiled that both male groups use impoliteness strategies more frequently than female groups. It is also suggested that Black male and White female singers employ impoliteness to resist oppression, offer a counter-narrative about their own experience and self (re)presentation and reinforce in group solidarity.


Author(s):  
Carla Fabiana Streck ◽  
Thirzá Baptista Frison

Resumo: Para Ecléa Bosi, uma das funções sociais do velho é recordar, ou seja, reconstruir o passado a partir de um olhar do presente. Considerando que o ato de lembrar é fundamental na resignificação da própria vida e também do reconhecimento de si, buscamos investigar as lembranças de velhos sobre o mundo do trabalho na infância e quais as características atribuídas a esse universo. O trabalho em nossa sociedade, tem papel fundamental por ser tanto um fator de socialização, quanto de aceitação social. Lembrar o passado e, principalmente, um passado de trabalho, contribui para o aumento da integridade e da auto-estima, em especial, quando se tratam de idosos aposentados. Foram examinados os relatos de onze pessoas, maiores de 60 anos, aposentadas há cinco anos ou mais, entrevistadas para a pesquisa "Identidade e Aposentadoria". Entre os principais resultados, revelou-se diferenças entre os relatos daqueles que trabalharam na infância e daqueles que não tiveram essa experiência. Foram também constatadas as influências de fatores sócio-econômicos e culturais, envolvendo nível econômico, moradia em ambiente urbano ou rural e questões de gênero. As lembranças de trabalho trazem consigo não apenas uma possibilidade de dedução do conceito de trabalho para cada entrevistado, mas também fazem referência à forma corno a mundo do trabalho era constituído. Palavras-chave: Terceira idade. Lembranças. Trabalho. Abstract: For Ecléa Bosi, one of the social functions of the elder is to remember, or, rebuild the past from the present outlook. Taking into account that the act of remembering is basic in the re-significance of his/her own life, and also in the acknowledgement of him/herself, the memories the elder have of his/her childhood work world, and which characteristics are attributed to such universe, were investigated. Work, in our society, has a fundamental role not only as a socialization factor but for social acceptance as well. Remembering the past, and mainly the work, helps increase the integrity and self-esteem, especially in retired seniors. The reports of 11 individuals over 60 years of age, retired for five or more years, interviewed for the research "Identity and Retirement" were examined. Among the most important results, differences were pointed out between those who worked in his/her childhood and those who did not have such experience. Influences of social-cultural factors were also noted, involving economic standard, living in rural or urban environment, and gender. The memories of work bring along not only the possibility of inferring the concept of work for each individual interviewed, but also the reference to the form of how the work world used to be made up. Keywords: Third age. Memories. Work.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56
Author(s):  
Christopher Cayari ◽  
Felix A. Graham ◽  
Emma Joy Jampole ◽  
Jared O’Leary

The social climate in the past decade has seen a rise in visibility of trans students in music classrooms and ensembles, leading to a need for scholarship on how to serve this growing population. Literature is being published to address this topic; however, the lack of scholarship by trans educators might lead many music educators to conclusions and practices that can be, at the very least, discouraging to some trans students and may disrupt their learning experiences. This article was written by four educators who identify as part of the trans community (a genderfluid and gender-nonconforming individual, a trans man, a trans woman, and a gender-nonbinary person) to fill this gap in the literature by illuminating some of the pitfalls inherent in the lack of discussion on (and by) trans people in music education. In addition, this article provides five actionable suggestions for working with trans students: (1) Learn about the trans community, (2) inspect your language and biases, (3) represent the diversity of trans people in your teaching, (4) promote healthy music-making and identity development, and (5) model allyship.


2021 ◽  

Courts can play an important role in addressing issues of inequality, discrimination and gender injustice for women. The feminisation of the judiciary – both in its thin meaning of women's entrance into the profession, as well as its thicker forms of realising gender justice – is a core part of the agenda for gender equality. This volume acknowledges both the diversity of meanings of the feminisation of the judiciary, as well as the complexity of the social and cultural realisation of gender equality. Containing original empirical studies, this book demonstrates the past and present challenges women face to entering the judiciary and progressing their career, as well as when and why they advocate for women's issues while on the bench. From stories of pioneering women to sector-wide institutional studies of the gender composition of the judiciary, this book reflects on the feminisation of the judiciary in the Asia-Pacific.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 630-630
Author(s):  
Glenn Perusek

For more than a generation, as the authors rightly point out, the impact of organized labor on electoral politics has been neglected in scholarly literature. Indeed, only a tiny minority of social scientists explicitly focuses on organized labor in the United States. Although the impact of the social movements of the 1960s appeared to heighten awareness of the importance of class, race, and gender, class and its organized expression, the union movement, has received less attention, while studies of race and gender have flourished.


2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-108
Author(s):  
Deborah V. Dolan

Practitioners of psychiatry and psychology have played an important role in the sterilization of tens of thousands of Americans throughout the past century. This article examines a number of questions relating to the origin and continuation of sterilization as a treatment and preventive. What social and medical beliefs lead to the use of sterilization as a treatment and preventive for both the individual and society? What ills are being treated and prevented? Who becomes a candidate for sterilization? To what degree are ethical concerns raised, and what is the response to these concerns? And finally, Who is the client—the individual, potential children, or society?—and how do practitioners distinguish the interest of the individuals from that of their potential children and society?


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