Washington, Aug 28 (IANS) Down the ages, experts and laymen have been trying to crack the handwriting code in a bid to detect one’s personality traits or gauge their innocence in criminal cases.
Although once dismissed as a pseudo-science, now researchers are discovering that a computerised tool can help them gauge handwriting characteristics more effectively.

Researchers led by Gil Luria and Sara Rosenblum of University of Haifa utilised a computerised tablet that measured the physical properties of the subject’s handwriting, which are difficult to consciously control.

For example, the duration of time that the pen is on paper versus in the air, the length, height and width of each writing stroke, and the pressure implemented on the writing surface.

The researchers found that these handwriting characteristics differ when an individual is in the process of writing deceptive sentences as opposed to truthful sentences.

The handwriting tool has the potential to replace, or work in tandem, with popular, verbal-based lie detection technology such as the polygraph to ensure greater accuracy and objectivity in law enforcement deception detection.

Additionally, polygraphs are often intrusive to the subject and sometimes inconclusive.

The handwriting tool, therefore, provides ease and increased accuracy over common, verbal-based methods, said a Haifa release.

These findings are slated for publication in Applied Cognitive Psychology.