Activity Type Title

Chapter 1. Chapter

Article

From the Pages of Scientific American

Murder, she wrote

From the pages of Scientific American. Murder, She Wrote. Handwriting Analysis May Reveal Dishonesty. A new study adds “writing with large strokes and applying high pressure on paper” to the list of telltale signs that someone might be lying. Researchers at Haifa University in Israel could tell whether or not students were writing the truth by analyzing these physical properties of their handwriting. Lying requires more cognitive resources than being truthful, says lead author Gil Luria. “You need to invent a story, make sure not to contradict yourself, etcetera.” Any task done simultaneously, therefore, becomes less automatic. Tabletop pressure sensors showed this effect in the students’ handwriting, which became more belabored when they fibbed. Handwriting analysis could eventually complement other lie detection methods and would add a new dimension because, unlike almost all other techniques, it doesn’t rely on verbal communication, Luria says. The author is Nicole Branan. Reproduced with permission. Copyright 2010 Scientific American, a division of Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved.

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1.1 Quiz

1. In Dr. Luria and colleagues’ handwriting study, the stroke size in the handwriting samples and the amount of pressure on the paper from writing are:

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2. The handwriting study is an example of which kind of scientific method?

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3. Dr. Luria and colleagues believe that peoples’ handwriting will become labored if they are lying because the cognitive process of writing will suffer when people also have to make up a consistent lie. This statement can best be described as their:

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4. What advantage of using handwriting analysis to detect falsehoods does the author note?

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5. Dr. Luria and colleagues published their study in part so that other researchers could try to repeat the study and validate its findings. That process is called:

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