Cognitive analysis of information processing in handwriting identification

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25330275
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Intelligent informatics
• Research Institution: National Research Institute of Police Science
• Principal Investigator: Seki Yoko 科学警察研究所, 法科学第四部, 部長 (10356157)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 筆跡鑑定 / 注視点解析 / 先行知識 / 目視検査

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The objective of the research is to explain how a forensic document examiner processes the cognitive, especially visual information, in his/her decision making process.
Eight forensic document examiners (FDEs) and twenty laypeople participated in the experiment. They were instructed to observe the display and to find the difference between pictures or classify 6 handwritten Kanji characters into some groups by their similarity. After answering their decision, they were also asked to answer the reason of their decision. Response time, eye movements and fixation points were analyzed.
Significant difference was observed in average response time between FDEs and laypeople on the handwriting stimuli while no significant difference on the picture. Analysis of eye movements and fixation points showed laypeople observed salient points intensively while FDEs observed larger areas more evenly. These results suggested that FDEs took various kinds of information sources for their decision.

Free Research Field

法科学