Knot-Tying Habits, Tier Handedness, and Experience

• NCJ Number: 232571
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 55 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2010 Pages: 1232-1244
• Author(s): Robert C. Chisnall, M.Ed.
• Date Published: September 2010
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Brief references were made to survey data during presentations at Forensic 310, Trends in Forensic Science - The Forensic Analysis of Knots and Ligatures, Trent University, ON, Canada, March 2006, January 2007, 2008, and 2009, and the MAFS Fall Meeting - The Forensic Analysis of Knots and Ligatures, Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, Inc., October 12, 2006.

Annotation

Previous research concerning tier handedness, experience, and the configuration of simple, habitual knots has been scant and conflicting. Survey data were collected from 21 disparate groups comprising 562 respondents in total.

Abstract

Regardless of experience, respondents tied both Granny and Reef Knots. Dextral tying was dominated by S knots. Left-handers tied Z knots more frequently than right-handers. However, the frequency of S and Z knots relative to tier hand dominance, which is not binary, occurred on a continuum. Averaging all survey tasks, more than 70 percent of knots tied by dextrals were S, whereas only 56 percent of those tied by sinistrals were S. These percentages varied somewhat according to specific tying tasks and the number of working ends. Furthermore, tiers' shoelace and parcel knots were not always identical, and a ranked pattern in parcel and shoelace knots was revealed. The examination of habitual knots could benefit criminal investigations. (Published Abstract)