Biometric Sensors in Social Science Research

Biometric technologies are no longer confined to spy thrillers. From facial recognition, iris scanning and fingerprint scanning used in high-security areas such as airports, to everyday mobile devices, these technologies rely on the measurement, analysis, and recognition of biophysical features.  

What is less known, however, is how the same technologies are increasingly being used not only in psychological research, but also in social science research.  

Eye-Tracking and What It Reveals 

Take eye-tracking technology. Since the early 2000s, researchers have used it to examine individuals’ patterns of information processing, decision-making processes, and learning strategies. It has garnered increased attention for studies on learning processes and outcomes, building on existing research in the field of psychology. Through the studying of eye movements, researchers can understand the cognitive activities involved with learning, premised upon the ‘eye-mind’ assumption that an individual’s eye movements reflect where their attention is being focused.  

Eye-tracking technology has also been used to study socio-cultural issues, such as how people visually and cognitively process the faces of individuals of various racial groups. Findings suggest that one’s cultural background influences his eye movements in face processing and recognition, possibly shaped from early childhood.  

Furthermore, individuals might find it difficult to recognise the faces of those from other races, as compared to those from their own race. Eye-tracking technology has revealed how this phenomenon, known as the own-race bias (ORB), might be attributable to differences in eye movements during initial perception, which influence how visual and cognitive attention is allocated to various facial features. 

Electroencephalography (EEG), which records brain activity through sensors on the scalp, adds another dimension. EEG signals are of a high temporal resolution, as samples of neural activity can be recorded at intervals as short as 5 milliseconds. While EEG is commonly used in medicine for diagnosis of brain conditions, it has also been applied in fields as varied as marketing and security.  

In the social sciences, EEG helps researchers examine how people react emotionally and cognitively to members of different social groups, through the measurement and analysis of emotional reactions. EEG studies also show that face perception is affected by ingroup-outgroup dynamics and individual biases. This provides insights into the fundamental neural processes through which we perceive other individuals as similar or different from us, with perceptions of ethnic differences becoming more pronounced among those with existing biases. 

These findings can help foster greater inclusion and cohesion in diverse societies. For social psychologists, technologies like eye-tracking and EEG allow the surfacing of certain behaviours and biases in intergroup interactions, which might occur outside of the individual’s conscious awareness.  

Moreover, even if individuals are conscious of their own biases, they may be reluctant to discuss such issues explicitly or truthfully in conventional research methods such as oral interviews or focus group discussions.  

However, with biometric technologies like eye-tracking, inconsistences between self-reported and implicit perceptions in social interactions can be established. By measuring what people actually look at or how their brains respond, researchers can uncover hidden patterns of thought and behaviour. 

For diverse societies like Singapore, these insights are not merely academic. They can inform efforts to reduce bias, build empathy, and strengthen social cohesion. In other words, biometric technologies are not just about catching criminals at airports—they are also about understanding ourselves, and each other, more deeply. 

Top photo from Wikimedia