Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine whether or not predictions could be made about personal appearance features of a crime suspect from that suspect's fingerprints left at a crime scene. Specifically, could one dtermine from a fingerprint whether it was: from the left vs. right hand; from a man vs. a woman; from a tall vs. a short person; a heavy vs. a slender person; a negro vs. a caucasian person. A series of multivariate statistical analyses was made, using a set of quantifiable fingerprint features, called Paley measures. Results of the study showed that the hand from which a fingerprint came could be predicted quite well, especially if the pattern of the fingerprint is a loop. The sex of the person from which a fingerprint came also showed promise of being able to be predicted. It was suggested that the study be repeated using a larger fingerprint sample to verify the findings of this study.
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