A new view for forensic handwriting: eye gaze behaviour reveals cognitive processes underlying signature simulations

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Human Biosciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

In the past, forensic handwriting examination has received scrutiny about a paucity of empirical evidence supporting claims and theories within the field. This dissertation uses a novel framework that combines objective eye-tracking and hand kinematics with forensic document examiner opinions and simulators’ perceptions to gain further insight into the cognitive and behavioural processes involved in signature simulation. Experiment one focuses on the perceptions of simulators and uses an advanced statistical model to answer questions relating to signature simulation difficulty, signature complexity and signature legibility. Further experimentation builds on the findings by investigating the gaze strategies of simulators, the quality of signature simulations and the behavioural relationship between eye and hand movements during signature simulation. Collectively, the findings of this dissertation provide valuable novel insights into the signature simulation process, whilst validating some of the theoretical concepts related to the field of handwriting examination and human behaviour.