The reconstruction of human history from the fossil record often runs up against incomplete or differential preservation of specimens. In anthropological studies a large number of variables are usually taken and missing values can be a problem. Here we analyze three population samples of extinct aborigines from Tierra del Fuego. The first sample, with sex and ethnic group known, is used to compare the step-wise discriminant analysis and the discriminant analysis based on distances. With the second sample a first approach to the assignation of poorly documented specimens in relation to sex or ethnic group is presented here by comparing the results from the two discriminant methods. A third sample of skulls with ethnic group and sex unknown is used to illustrate the advantages of distance-based discriminant analysis to solve the problem of allocating individuals when some values are missing.
@article{urn:eudml:doc:40257,
title = {The usefulness of discrimination based on distances on human evolution.},
journal = {Q\"uestii\'o},
volume = {22},
year = {1998},
pages = {529-538},
language = {en},
url = {http://dml.mathdoc.fr/item/urn:eudml:doc:40257}
}
Arenas Solá, Concepción; Turbón Borrega, Daniel. The usefulness of discrimination based on distances on human evolution.. Qüestiió, Tome 22 (1998) pp. 529-538. http://gdmltest.u-ga.fr/item/urn:eudml:doc:40257/