International reference atlas
The historical use of handwriting in hiring raises a testable question.
Handwriting and graphology
In 1989 Neter and Ben-Shakhar reviewed 17 studies on predicting occupational performance. In the few studies using texts with neutral content, graphologists’ predictive validity was close to zero.
An application letter reveals work experience even when typed. Testing handwriting itself requires separating what the words say from the shapes of the letters. A letter’s slant does not establish a candidate’s honesty.
Graphology associates handwriting with personality. Each proposed link needs an independent test of its predictive value.
Handwriting and graphologyA person may form one letter several ways even within one sentence. Comparison needs a range of examples rather than the nearest match.
Handwriting and graphologyExaminers consider how a stroke travels, breaks and changes along its path. With a photograph the first question is which details the image actually retains.
Graphologist Israel