Familiarity Recognition in Automated Screening Environments:

Utilizing Eye-Tracking Technology as an Intelligence Gathering Tool

Jeffrey Gainer ProudfootOctober 13, 2010Readings in MIS

Background Information

Problem: Screening agents lack the ability, and technology, to identify persons with knowledge of, or familiarity with, wanted persons.

Eye-Tracking Technology

Literature ReviewEye Gaze Behavior – Familiar vs. Unfamiliar

(Althoff & Cohen, 1999)

Familiar Faces Unfamiliar Faces

Eye Gaze Behavior as a Guilty Knowledge Test(Derrick, Moffit, & Nunamaker, 2010)

*This reaction can be attributed to Orienting Response Theory.

• Two Treatments: Innocent and Guilty• Guilty subjects assembled an improvised explosive device.• Both groups viewed a series of images while being monitored by an eye tracker.• One of the images was almost identical to the IED; however, a component was

missing.• Guilty subjects fixated on the missing component.

Familiarity Assessment Model

The Derrick et al. (2010) study evaluated eye gaze behavior (as a GKT) while subjects viewed images of objects.

RQ1: Can eye-tracking technology be used as a GKT to detect familiarity while subjects view images of faces?

Methodology / Research Approach

Familiar Unfamiliar

Orienting Response Group 1 Group 2

No O.R. Group 3 Group 4

Expected Results

• Orienting Response – subjects will focus their eye gaze on the altered element of a familiar person’s face.

• Apprehension –subjects delivering the IED will demonstrate erratic eye gaze behavior during exposure to an image of the intended recipient.