A comparison of the validity of handwriting analysis with that of the Cattell 16PF

Bushnell, I.W.R. (1996) A comparison of the validity of handwriting analysis with that of the Cattell 16PF. International Journal of Selection and Assesment(4), pp. 12-17.

Abstract

Few British organizations utilize handwriting analysis for personality assessment, but in some European countries handwriting analysis is extremely popular. Research has examined the reliability and validity of both methods of assessment, but few studies have directly compared the two. In this study, the personality of 120 subjects was assessed by the Cattell 16PF and by handwriting analysis. Each subject was presented with five handwriting analysis textual reports and five personality textual reports (one of each being their own) and asked to rank order each set in terms of perceived accuracy. The same ranking process was undertaken by each respondent's social partner. The results demonstrated that handwriting reports were ranked at a chance level by Self and by Other and that personality reports were ranked at a well above chance level by Self and by Other. Self-rankings were more accurate than Other-rankings.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bushnell, Dr Ian
• Authors: Bushnell, I.W.R.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Psychology
• Journal Name: International Journal of Selection and Assesment