Self-recognition generates characteristic responses in pupil dynamics and microsaccade rate

Abstract: Visual fixation is an active process with pupil dynamics as well as fixational eye movements and microsaccades that support perception. Measures of both pupil contraction and microsaccades are known to be sensitive to ongoing cognition and emotional processing. Here we present experimental results from a visual fixation task demonstrating that pupil size and microsaccade rate respond differently during self-recognition (when seeing one's own face) than when seeing familiar or unfamiliar faces. First, the pupil response is characterized by an immediate pupil-constriction followed by later dilation in response to stimulus onsets. For one's own face, we observe muted constriction and greater dilation compared to other faces. Second, microsaccades, which generally show an inhibitory response to incoming stimuli, are more strongly inhibited in response to one's own face compared to other faces. Our results lend support to the idea that eye-related physiological measures could be useful for authentication or exposing hidden knowledge.