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Variability of Cursive Handwriting Measure Defined Along a Continuum: Letter Specificity

NCJ Number
109182
Journal
Journal of the Forensic Science Society Volume: 27 Issue: 5 Dated: (September-October 1987) Pages: 297-306
Author(s)
A M Wing; I Nimmo-Smith
Date Published
1987
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Statistics are provided on two measures of cursive handwriting: ratio and proportion.
Abstract
Both measures involve a comparison of the extent of large and small vertical pen-strokes. However, the variability between the writing of different individuals relative to the variability observed within any one individual's writing was greater in the case of d-proportion than in the case of el-ratio. For the purposes of forensic handwriting comparison, d-proportion may be considered potentially the better feature. If measurements based on physical continua are to be seriously considered as candidate features in computer-aided comparisons of handwriting, the present result suggests that it will be important to take account of the particular letter within which the pen-strokes appear. (Publisher abstract)

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