Graphology / Handwriting Graphology / Handwriting Analysis Analysis

Handwriting analyzing can tell a lot Handwriting analyzing can tell a lot about personality about personality Large companies use graphology (handwriting analyzing) to check job applications,The police still use handwriting experts to determine who wrote what

Graphology or Handwriting Analysis is a Graphology or Handwriting Analysis is a science of interpreting a person's character science of interpreting a person's character from his/her personal handwriting. from his/her personal handwriting. Coupled with psychology and knowledge of Coupled with psychology and knowledge of human behavior, it can be used for many human behavior, it can be used for many varied purposes. For example, Recruitment, varied purposes. For example, Recruitment, Marriage compatibility, Career Guidance, Marriage compatibility, Career Guidance, Motivate workers, Child development.. etc. Motivate workers, Child development.. etc.

Signature is not the best way to analyze Signature is not the best way to analyze character from handwriting , for several reasons.character from handwriting , for several reasons.

– Firstly, the Signature is sometimes illegible and Firstly, the Signature is sometimes illegible and different from the normal handwriting.different from the normal handwriting.

– Secondly, the lone signature does not give enough Secondly, the lone signature does not give enough words and letters to help the graphologist in his/her words and letters to help the graphologist in his/her judgment. judgment.

But signature samples do have certain But signature samples do have certain advantage. Firstly they are easy to collect; even advantage. Firstly they are easy to collect; even over long periods of time. over long periods of time.

Graphology can analyze a person's personality Graphology can analyze a person's personality without the person’s knowledge that he/she is without the person’s knowledge that he/she is being analyzed. Thus reducing the possibility of being analyzed. Thus reducing the possibility of inaccuracies due to conscious or unconscious inaccuracies due to conscious or unconscious effort by the subject to affect the result. effort by the subject to affect the result. Distortion of the result due to the subject's Distortion of the result due to the subject's knowledge that he/she is being analyzed is knowledge that he/she is being analyzed is common in most Question-&-Answer type of common in most Question-&-Answer type of personality analysis tools. personality analysis tools. It's better to use graphology to analyze the It's better to use graphology to analyze the handwriting of a pure untainted subject , rather handwriting of a pure untainted subject , rather than to put the subject under unnatural stress of than to put the subject under unnatural stress of a long questionnaire. a long questionnaire. Also, a single personality questionnaire may Also, a single personality questionnaire may reveal a single dimension of personality. But two reveal a single dimension of personality. But two handwriting samples of the same person at handwriting samples of the same person at different occasion may reveals different different occasion may reveals different behaviour characteristics behaviour characteristics

What is Graphoanalysis?What is Graphoanalysis?Graphoanalysis is a scientific system of Graphoanalysis is a scientific system of identifying and assessing the character identifying and assessing the character and personality of an individual through a and personality of an individual through a study of handwriting. The techniques used study of handwriting. The techniques used are based on a well-defined, standardized are based on a well-defined, standardized method of:method of:– identifying strokes, identifying strokes, – relating these strokes to specific personality relating these strokes to specific personality

traits, and traits, and – evaluating the relative strength of the evaluating the relative strength of the

interrelated traits. interrelated traits.

THE HIDDEN MEANING OF THE HIDDEN MEANING OF HANDWRITINGHANDWRITING

Handwriting gives us access to inside Handwriting gives us access to inside secrets about the hidden meaning of secrets about the hidden meaning of handwritinghandwriting

If you received a note like the one belowIf you received a note like the one below– What would you be able to tell about the What would you be able to tell about the

writer? The words are friendly enough!writer? The words are friendly enough!– If you look a little closer you will see that there If you look a little closer you will see that there

are a number of conflicting signs. are a number of conflicting signs. – Can you see the danger signals?  There are red Can you see the danger signals?  There are red

flags popping up all over the placeflags popping up all over the place

An understanding of handwriting analysis An understanding of handwriting analysis will quickly show you that this writer is will quickly show you that this writer is dogmatic and dictatorial, emotionally dogmatic and dictatorial, emotionally unstable, bad tempered and possibly even unstable, bad tempered and possibly even violent! violent! It's even possible to find the underlying It's even possible to find the underlying reasons for the danger signals and to reasons for the danger signals and to understand why the writer has so much understand why the writer has so much personal conflict in his life.personal conflict in his life.You'll be surprised to discover how much You'll be surprised to discover how much detail can be extracted from just a single detail can be extracted from just a single page of handwriting. page of handwriting. Of course, to be able to read these signs Of course, to be able to read these signs yourself, you will need to have some yourself, you will need to have some understanding of handwriting analysis understanding of handwriting analysis first. first.

Handwriting GuidelinesHandwriting GuidelinesGet a sheet of paper, sign your name, and Get a sheet of paper, sign your name, and start to analyze with these guidelines:start to analyze with these guidelines:– Writing that leans to the right shows good Writing that leans to the right shows good

communication skills. communication skills. – Straight, vertical writing shows independence Straight, vertical writing shows independence

and stability. and stability. – Writing that leans to the left may mean you Writing that leans to the left may mean you

find it difficult to communicate. find it difficult to communicate. – Small writing can be a sign of modesty. Small writing can be a sign of modesty. – Large writing indicates enthusiasm and Large writing indicates enthusiasm and

generosity.generosity.

Exercise ( 15 minutes)Exercise ( 15 minutes)

Get a paper and write the following Get a paper and write the following sentences:sentences:– Go west young man and grow up with Go west young man and grow up with

the countrythe country– It is Valentino’s day today, so I will give It is Valentino’s day today, so I will give

her …her …

Give it to your group member to Give it to your group member to analyze it – based on the guidelines.analyze it – based on the guidelines.

OCR: Handwriting OCR: Handwriting

OCR: HandwritingOCR: HandwritingFor more than thirty years, researchers For more than thirty years, researchers have been working on handwriting have been working on handwriting recognition. recognition. As in the case of speech processing, they As in the case of speech processing, they aimed at designing systems able to aimed at designing systems able to understand personal encoding of natural understand personal encoding of natural language language Methods and recognition rates depend on Methods and recognition rates depend on the level of constraints on handwriting.the level of constraints on handwriting.The constraints are mainly characterized The constraints are mainly characterized by the:by the:– types of handwriting, types of handwriting, – number of scriptors, number of scriptors, – size of the vocabulary size of the vocabulary – spatial layout. spatial layout.

Methods and Strategies Methods and Strategies Recognition strategies heavily depends on Recognition strategies heavily depends on the nature of the data to be recognized. the nature of the data to be recognized.

In the cursive case, the problem is made In the cursive case, the problem is made complex by the fact that the writing is complex by the fact that the writing is fundamentally ambiguous as the letters in fundamentally ambiguous as the letters in the word are generally linked together, the word are generally linked together, poorly written and may even be missing.poorly written and may even be missing.

On the contrary, hand printed word On the contrary, hand printed word recognition is more related to printed word recognition is more related to printed word recognition, the individual letters recognition, the individual letters composing the word being usually much composing the word being usually much easier to isolate and to identify. easier to isolate and to identify.

Character RecognitionCharacter Recognition– Character Recognition techniques can be classified Character Recognition techniques can be classified

according to two criteria: according to two criteria: the way preprocessing is performed on the data the way preprocessing is performed on the data the type of the decision algorithm. the type of the decision algorithm.

– Preprocessing techniques include three main categories:Preprocessing techniques include three main categories:the use of global transforms (correlation, Fourier the use of global transforms (correlation, Fourier descriptors, etc.), descriptors, etc.), local comparison (local densities, intersections with straight local comparison (local densities, intersections with straight lines, variable masks, characteristic loci, etc.) lines, variable masks, characteristic loci, etc.) geometrical or topological characteristics (strokes, loops, geometrical or topological characteristics (strokes, loops, openings, diacritical marks, skeleton, etc.). openings, diacritical marks, skeleton, etc.).

– Depending on the type of preprocessing stage, various Depending on the type of preprocessing stage, various kinds of decision methods have been used such as: kinds of decision methods have been used such as:

various statistical methods, various statistical methods, neural networks, structural matchings (on trees, chains, neural networks, structural matchings (on trees, chains, etc.) etc.) stochastic processing (Markov chains, etc.). stochastic processing (Markov chains, etc.).

Handwritten Word RecognitionHandwritten Word Recognition– Two main types of strategies have been Two main types of strategies have been

applied to this problem since the beginning of applied to this problem since the beginning of research in this field:research in this field:

the holistic approach - recognition is globally the holistic approach - recognition is globally performed on the whole representation of words and performed on the whole representation of words and there is no attempt to identify characters individually.there is no attempt to identify characters individually.

– The main advantage of holistic methods is that they The main advantage of holistic methods is that they avoid word segmentation avoid word segmentation

the analytical approach In the first case - deal with the analytical approach In the first case - deal with several levels of representation corresponding to several levels of representation corresponding to increasing levels of abstraction (usually the feature increasing levels of abstraction (usually the feature level, the grapheme or pseudo-letter level and the level, the grapheme or pseudo-letter level and the word level). Words are not considered as a whole, but word level). Words are not considered as a whole, but as sequences of smaller size units which must be as sequences of smaller size units which must be easily related to characters in order to make easily related to characters in order to make recognition independent from a specific vocabulary recognition independent from a specific vocabulary

Lab ExerciseLab Exercise

Go to the following site and do an Go to the following site and do an online handwriting analysis.online handwriting analysis.– http://www.myhandwriting.com/index.hthttp://www.myhandwriting.com/index.ht

mlml– http://www.compatamate.com/Handwritihttp://www.compatamate.com/Handwriti

ngAnalysis.htmlngAnalysis.html