Handwriting Analysis Lab Assignment Assignment?Documents The handwriting analysis lab handout should be used to complete this assignment. Instructions for this?Assignment Purpose: Collect

Handwriting  Analysis  Lab  

Purpose   You  will  collect  a  writing  sample  from  yourself  and  one  other  person  to  analyze   and  compare.  

Materials:      

• 2  blank  pieces  of  paper   • 2  pens  or  pencils  that  are  the  same  make  and  model   • Copy  of  the  text  for  “The  Egyptian  Letter”  (provided  below)  

The  Egyptian  Letter   Dear  Sam:   From  Egypt  we  went  to  Italy,  and  then  took  a  trip  to  Germany,  Holland  and  England.  We   enjoyed  it  all  but  Rome  and  London  most.  In  Berlin  we  met  Mr.  John  O.  Young  of  Messrs.   Tackico  &  Co.,  on  his  way  to  Vienna.  His  address  there  is  147  upper  Zeiss  Street,  care  of   Dr.  Quincy  W.  Long.  Friday  the  18th,  we  join  C.  N.  Dazet,  Esquire  and  Mrs.  Dazet,  and   leave  at  6:30  A.M.  for  Paris  on  the  'Q.  X.'  Express  and  early  on  the  morning  on  the  25th   of  June  start  for  home  on  the  S.  S.  King.   Very  sincerely  yours,  

Procedure:       1.  On  one  blank  piece  of  paper,  rewrite  the  Egyptian  letter.   2.  Complete  data  table  1  as  you  analyze  your  own  handwriting.   3.  Have  someone  else  write  the  Egyptian  letter  on  the  other  blank  piece  of  paper.   4.  Complete  the  data  table  2  as  you  analyze  their  handwriting.   5.  Answer  the  analysis  questions  as  you  compare  both  samples  of  handwriting.    

Data  

Table  1:  Handwriting  Self-­‐Evaluation  

Observations   Comments   Is  the  writing  in  cursive,  print,  or   combination  of  both?  

Are  the  lines  smooth  or  shaky?        

Do  capital  letters  only  appear  at  the   beginning  of  a  sentence  or  name  or  are   there  randomly  distributed  capital  letters   throughout  the  text?    

Do  the  capital  letters  “connect”  to  the  lower   case  letters  that  follow?  

Are  any  letters  left  open,  such  as  o’s  or  a’s?   Which  ones?  

Does  the  pressure  applied  appear  to  be   consistent  or  does  it  vary?  (Example…lighter   pressure  at  end  of  a  word.)  

Is  there  a  slant?  Which  direction,  right  or   left?  

Are  there  fancy  curls  or  loops?  If  so,  which   letters?  

Are  all  “i”s  dotted?  If  so,  how?  Right,  left,   center?  Are  there  any  notable  features  like  a   circle  or  a  dash?  

Are  all  the  “t”s  crossed?  If  so,  how?  Right,   left,  center?  Are  there  any  fancy  tails  or   circles?  

Table  2:  Handwriting  Evaluation  of  Someone  Else  

Observations   Comments   Is  the  writing  in  cursive,  print,  or   combination  of  both?  

Are  the  lines  smooth  or  shaky?          

Do  capital  letters  only  appear  at  the   beginning  of  a  sentence  or  name  or  are   there  randomly  distributed  capital  letters   throughout  the  text?    

Do  the  capital  letters  “connect”  to  the  lower   case  letters  that  follow?  

Are  any  letters  left  open,  such  as  o’s  or  a’s?   Which  ones?  

Does  the  pressure  applied  appear  to  be   consistent  or  does  it  vary?  (Example…lighter   pressure  at  end  of  a  word.)  

Is  there  a  slant?  Which  direction,  right  or   left?  

Are  there  fancy  curls  or  loops?  If  so,  which   letters?  

Are  all  “i”s  dotted?  If  so,  how?  Right,  left,   center?  Are  there  any  notable  features  like  a   circle  or  a  dash?  

Are  all  the  “t”s  crossed?  If  so,  how?  Right,   left,  center?  Are  there  any  fancy  tails  or   circles?  

Analysis:       1.  Can  you  easily  tell  the  difference  between  the  two  handwriting  samples?    Why  or  why  not?         2.  Which  characteristics  or  letters  were  most  similar?         3.  Which  characteristics  or  letters  were  most  different?         4.  If  a  kindergarten  teacher  had  a  homework  paper  with  no  name  on  it,  why  might  she  have  a  difficult  time   determining  who  the  paper  belonged  to?         5.  Do  you  think  that  handwriting  analysis  provides  sufficient  evidence  to  convict  a  person  of  a  crime?    Why  or  why   not?         6.    Try  to  disguise  your  writing  and  write  the  first  sentence  of  the  Egyptian  letter  in  the  style  of  the  person  who   completed  this  lab  with  you.    Does  your  writing  resemble  their  writing  in  any  way?    Describe  the  ways  in  which  it  is   similar.         7.    What  are  some  of  the  ways  in  which  you  can  tell  that  your  disguised  handwriting  is  not  an  exact  match  to  your   lab  partner's?         8.    Do  you  think  you  could  write  the  entire  letter  in  this  disguised  handwriting?         9.    Why  is  it  important  to  have  a  longer  writing  passage  when  conducting  a  handwriting  analysis  for  signs  of   disguised  writing?        

Conclusion:       Write  a  brief  statement  summarizing  what  you  have  learned  about  the  use  of  handwriting   analysis  and  its  value,  if  any,  as  evidence.  

1. CommentsIs the writing in cursive print or combination of both:
2. fill_2:
3. fill_3:
4. fill_4:
5. fill_5:
6. fill_6:
7. CommentsIs there a slant Which direction right or left:
8. CommentsAre there fancy curls or loops If so which letters:
9. fill_9:
10. CommentsAre all the ts crossed If so how Right left center Are there any fancy tails or circles:
11. CommentsIs the writing in cursive print or combination of both_2:
12. fill_2_2:
13. fill_3_2:
14. fill_4_2:
15. fill_5_2:
16. fill_6_2:
17. CommentsIs there a slant Which direction right or left_2:
18. CommentsAre there fancy curls or loops If so which letters_2:
19. fill_9_2:
20. CommentsAre all the ts crossed If so how Right left center Are there any fancy tails or circles_2:
21. fill_1:
22. 2 Which characteristics or letters were most similar:
23. 3 Which characteristics or letters were most different:
24. fill_4_3:
25. 5 Do you think that handwriting analysis provides sufficient evidence to convict a person of a crime Why or why not:
26. fill_6_3:
27. fill_7:
28. 8 Do you think you could write the entire letter in this disguised handwriting:
29. fill_9_3:
30. analysis: