Graphology

1. Graphology Malia Bender Debunking Pseudoscience

2. What is graphology & whose brilliant idea was it? • The study of handwriting • Goal - to determine characteristics of the writer • 1800’s - Jean-Hippolyte Michon & The Society of Graphology

3. Graphologists claim • Personality traits • Success in career • Compatibility • Health issues • Moral issues • (Graphotherepeutics)

4. Size Slant Width Zones Regularity Margin Pressure Stroke Lines Connection Form of connection Word and line spacing What they’re looking for

5. Analytical thinking Blunt Broad-minded Concentration Cultural refinement Emotional Intesity Examples of traits

6. Forgetfulness Humor Rebellious Vanity

7. How much does it cost? • http://www.handwritingpro.com/profile.html -- $200 -- write about recent activity • http://ocampa.com/analysis/ -- $55 -- write a full page on anything of interest

8. They have schools for this?? • The Society of Graphology • The Gestalt School • Books • Self- accredited correspondence schools or unaccredited night school classes • Make up your own system

9. What the graphologists say . . . • Handwriting is brainwriting • Writing is individualized, and personality is unique so each must reflect each other • Writing is a form of expressive movement so it should reflect our personality • The police and courts use graphology so it must be valid • Hard-nosed personnel managers swear by graphologists’ usefulness in selecting employees • It works

10. People believe this stuff? • The Barnum Effect • Positive Reinforcement

11. It’s all pseudoscience • Unfalsifiable hypotheses • After-the-fact readings • Numerous controlled scientific experiments • Inconsistency between graphologists