Distinctive pupil and microsaccade-rate signatures in self-recognition

Pupil dynamics and fixational eye movements are primarily involuntary processes that actively support visual perception during fixations. Both measures are known to be sensitive to ongoing cognitive and affective processing. In a visual fixation experiment (N = 116), we demonstrate that self-recognition, familiar faces, and unfamiliar faces elicit specific responses in pupil dynamics and microsaccade rate. First, the pupil response comprises an immediate pupil constriction, followed by a dilation in response to stimulus onsets. We observe attenuated constriction and greater dilation when faces are recognized compared to unknown faces. This effect is strongest for one’s own face. Second, microsaccade rates, which generally show inhibitory responses to incoming stimuli, generate stronger inhibition for familiar faces compared to unknown faces. Again, the strongest inhibition is observed in response to one’s own face. Our results imply that eye-related physiological measures expose hidden knowledge in face memory and could contribute to biometric authentication and identity validation procedures.