Identifying useful features for recognition in near-infrared periocular images

The periocular region is the part of the face immediately surrounding the eye, and researchers have recently begun to investigate how to use the periocular region for recognition. Understanding how humans recognize faces helped computer vision researchers develop algorithms for face recognition. Likewise, understanding how humans analyze periocular images could benefit researchers developing algorithms for periocular recognition. We presented pairs of periocular images to testers and asked them to determine whether the two images were from the same person or from different people. Our testers correctly determined the relationship between the two images in over 90% of the queries. We asked them to describe what features in the images were helpful to them in making their decisions. We found that eyelashes, tear ducts, shape of the eye, and eyelids were used most frequently in determining whether two images were from the same person. The outer corner of the eye and the shape of the eye were used a higher proportion of the time for incorrect responses than they were for correct responses, suggesting that those two features are not as useful.