This study focused on interrelations between graphometric variables of the signature and measures of perception, cognitive function, and personality. Signatures from a sample of psychiatric and somatic outpatients (N = 205) were analyzed into 23 graphometric variables and correlated with tests of IQ, cognitive and perceptual function, and personality. The results of a factor analysis of the graphometric, perceptual, and cognitive variables were very much like results from previous studies. Relationships with the graphometric variables can be described in five categories of intelligence, psychomotility, flexibility and speed of closure, and personality. Graphometric signs of Extraversion and Neuroticism were identified, and the two capitals in the signature indicated different psychological meanings. Measurements of the signature offered important personality information.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AbdiH. (2003) Factor rotations in factor analyses. In Lewis-BeckM.BrymanA.FittingT. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of social sciences research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, Pp. 792–795.
2.
AllportG. W.VernonP. E. (1933) Studies in expressive movements. New York: Macmillan.
3.
AltmanD.TrevorB.MachinD. (2000) Statistics with confidence. (2nd ed.) London: BMJ Books, P. 165.
4.
ÅströmJ.TobiasonE. (1965) Clinical trial of the Lüscher Colour Test. Mannheim: Medico Boehringer.
5.
ÅströmJ.ThorellL. H. (2007) Graphometric variables of one's signature: I. Basic measures. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 105, 733–752.
6.
BaldiC. (1622) Trattato come da una lettera missiva si cognoscano la natura e qualità della scrittore. Capri [The manuscript, “Trattato dei sequi dellalittera” is found at Biblioteca di Ceasse in Ravenna].
7.
CattellR. B. (1965) The scientific analysis of personality. Chicago, IL: Aldine.
8.
CesarecZ.MarkeS. (1968) Mätning av psykogena hehov med frågeformulärsteknik. Stockholm: Skandinaviska Testförlaget.
9.
DeanG. A.KellyI. W.SaklofskeD. H.FurnhamA. (1992) Graphology and human judgement. In BeyersteinB. L.BeyersteinD. F. (Eds.), The write stuff. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, Pp. 342–396.
10.
DombroseL. A.SlobinM. S. (1958) The IES Test. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 8, 347–384.
11.
DuremanI.SäldeH. (1959) Psychometric and experimental methods for the clinical evaluation of mental functioning. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell.
12.
El YacoubiA.GillouxM.SabourinR.SuenC. Y. (1999) Unconstrained handwritten word recognition using Hidden Markov Models. IEEE Translation on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 2, 752–760.
13.
EysenckH. J. (1945) Graphological analysis and psychiatry: An experimental study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 35, 70–81.
14.
EysenckH. J. (1947) Dimensions of personality. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
15.
EysenckH. J. (1957) The dynamics of anxiety and hysteria: An experimental application of modern learning theory to psychiatry. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
16.
EysenckH. J. (1990) Biological dimensions of personality. In PervinL. A. (Ed.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research. New York: Guilford, Pp. 244–276.
17.
EysenckH. J.EysenckS. B. G. (1964) Manual of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. London: Univer. of London Press.
18.
FerrerM. A.AlonsoJ. B.TraviesoC. M. (2005) Offline geometric parameters for automatic signature verification using fixed-point arithmetic. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine, 27, No. 6.
19.
GreenJ. N. (1975) You and your private graphological analysis focused on the personal pronoun I. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn.
20.
GrünewaldG. (1959) Über den Einfluss von Drogen auf die Schreibpsychomotorik. Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, 58/59, 198, 687–704.
21.
HathawayS. R.McKinleyJ. C. (1967) The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). New York: The Psychological Corp.
22.
JungC. G. (1925) Psychologische Typen. Zürich: Rascher & Cie.
23.
KochC. (1954) Der Baum Test, 2. Bern: Verlag Hans Huber.
24.
KretschmerE. (1921) Körperbau und Charakter. Munich: Bergmann.
25.
LavaterJ. C. (1775/78) Physiognomische Fragmente zur Beförderung der Menschenkenntis und Menschenliebe. Leipzig: Weidmanns Erber.
26.
LewinsonT. S.ZubinJ. (1942) Handwriting analysis. New York: King's Crown Press.
27.
LockowandtO. (1966) Faktorenanalytische Validierung der Handschrift mit besonderer Berücksichtigung projecktiver Methoden. Doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Philosophy, Univer. of Freiburg.
LüscherM. (1948) Lüscher-Test. Anleitung und Parhtafeln: Klinischer Test zur psychosomatischen Persönlichkeitsdiagnostik. Basel: Test-Verlag.
30.
MachoverK. (1965) Personality projection in the drawing of the human figure. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
31.
MarkeS.NymanG. E. (1962) Manual till MNT-skalan. Stockholm: Skandinaviska Testförlaget.
32.
MichonJ. H. (1875) Système de graphologie: L'art de connaître les hommes d'après leur ecriture. Paris: I Lecuire.
33.
MurrayH. A. (1938) Explorations in personality. New York: Oxford Univer. Press.
34.
MühlA. M. (1968) Automatic writing and hypnosis. In Le CronL. M. (Ed.), Experimental hypnosis. New York: Citadel Press.
35.
MüllerW.H.EnskatA. (1961) Graphologische Diagnostik—Ihre Grundlagen, Möglichkeiten und Grenzen. Bern: Verlag Hans Huber.
36.
NeterE.Ben-ShakharG. (1989) The predictive validity of graphological interferences: A meta-analytic approach. Personality and Individual Differences, 10, 737–745.
OinonenP. (1960) Poor handwriting as a psychological problem: An investigation carried out among primary school children. Doctoral dissertation, Jyväskylä, Finland.
SchmidtF. L.HunterJ. E. (1998) The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124, 262–274.
41.
SjöbringH. (1963) La Personalité, Structure et développement. Paris: Doin, La Chapelle-Montligeon.
42.
SjöströmH.ForslinJ. (1968) MMPI Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, manual till gruppversionen. Stockholm: Psykologiförlaget AB.
43.
SmithG.NymanE.HentschelU. (1986) Manual till CWT–Serialt färgordtest. Hägersten, Sweden: Psykologiförlaget AB.
44.
SprangerE. (1921) Lebensformen: Geisteswissenschaftliche Psychologie und Ethik der Persöhnlichkeit. Halle: Niemeyer.
45.
ThurstoneL. L. (1941) Factorial studies of intelligence. Psychometric Monograph 2. Chicago, IL: Univer. of Chicago Press.
46.
ThurstoneL. L. (1944) A factorial study of perception. Chicago, IL: Univer. of Chicago Press.
47.
TimmU. (1966) Graphometrie als psychologischer Test? Eine Untersuchung der Reliabilität, Faktorenstruktur und Validität von 84 Schriftmerkmalen. Doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Philosophy, Univer. of Freiburg.
48.
WallnerT. (1968) Zusammenhänge zwischen graphischen Variabeln und Persönlichkeitsbeurteiligung. Zeitschrift für Menschenkunde, 32, 438–445.
49.
WallnerT. (1970) Der prognostischer Wert von Tests und Handschriftsvariabeln bei Eignungsuntersuchungen. Zeitschrift für experiementelle und angewandte Psychologie, 34, 316–356.
50.
WallnerT. (1996) Från Grafologi till Skriftpsykologi. Jönköping, Sweden: Seminarium.
51.
WolfsonR. (1949) Study in handwriting analysis. Ann Arbor, MI: Edward Bros.
