The reliability of character recognition: An Australian & New Zealand expert-novice comparison study in the interpretation of chemically recovered serial numbers

IF 2.2 3区医学 Q1 MEDICINE, LEGAL Forensic science international Pub Date : 2024-07-01 DOI:10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112127

J.R. Waszczuk , J. Raymond , P. Maynard , C. Roux , S. Chadwick

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Abstract

The chemical recovery of a defaced serial number is a common forensic science practice, however it is not understood how proficient experts perform in correctly identifying recovered serial numbers. Understanding the accuracy of experts and how they compare to novices in character recognition can help to establish a baseline for this expertise. In this study an expert-novice comparison assessment was completed involving 118 test plates, each stamped with six randomised alphanumeric characters. The plates were defaced and chemically recovered before being viewed by multiple participants over six time intervals. A total of 3169 character inspections were completed. An assessment of confidence and error rates were calculated for both expert (trained) and novice (untrained) participants. Errors were counted when a participant interpreted a different character to that of the ground truth and believed the result was accurate for reporting. The results showed a similar (2.3 % and 2.4 %) error rate for the cohorts, however a statistical difference in confidence levels was recorded, demonstrating the more conservative nature of experts. This study aims to assist in validating practitioner interpretations, through addressing some forensic science criticisms, such as establishing error rates to routine scientific practices.

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字符识别的可靠性：澳大利亚和新西兰专家与新手在解读化学复原序列号方面的对比研究。

用化学方法复原污损的序列号是一种常见的法医学实践，但人们并不了解专家在正确识别复原序列号方面的熟练程度。了解专家的准确性以及他们与新手在字符识别方面的比较有助于为这一专业知识建立基准。在这项研究中，完成了一项专家与新手对比评估，涉及 118 个测试板，每个测试板上都印有六个随机字母数字字符。这些印版经过污损和化学复原后，由多名参与者在六个时间间隔内进行查看。总共完成了 3169 次字符检测。对专家（受过训练）和新手（未受过训练）参与者的信心评估和错误率进行了计算。如果参与者对字符的解释与基本真相不同，并且认为结果准确，则计算误差。结果显示，两组参与者的错误率相似（分别为 2.3% 和 2.4%），但在置信度方面存在统计差异，这表明专家更为保守。本研究旨在通过解决一些法医学批评，如确定常规科学实践的错误率，帮助验证从业人员的解释。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Forensic science international 医学-医学：法

CiteScore

5.00

自引率

9.10%

发文量

285

审稿时长

49 days

期刊介绍： Forensic Science International is the flagship journal in the prestigious Forensic Science International family, publishing the most innovative, cutting-edge, and influential contributions across the forensic sciences. Fields include: forensic pathology and histochemistry, chemistry, biochemistry and toxicology, biology, serology, odontology, psychiatry, anthropology, digital forensics, the physical sciences, firearms, and document examination, as well as investigations of value to public health in its broadest sense, and the important marginal area where science and medicine interact with the law. The journal publishes: Case Reports Commentaries Letters to the Editor Original Research Papers (Regular Papers) Rapid Communications Review Articles Technical Notes.