{"id":32753,"date":"2023-08-31T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/d3d554ec-e677-43d4-8886-0e5cc9f549e6"},"modified":"2023-08-31T20:46:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T18:46:12","slug":"the-mirror-test-this-one-minute-experiment-can-tell-if-your-child-or-pet-is-self-aware","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/the-mirror-test-this-one-minute-experiment-can-tell-if-your-child-or-pet-is-self-aware\/","title":{"rendered":"The mirror test: This one-minute experiment can tell if your child (or pet) is self-aware"},"content":{"rendered":"

This self-recognition test has been conducted on humans as well as animals. <\/p>

By Helen Pilcher\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 31 August 2023 at 18:30 PM<\/p>

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The mirror test is essentially a test of self-recognition. Put a smudge of soot on a baby\u2019s nose and then plonk them in front of a mirror. Until the age of 18 months or so, the baby will be none the wiser. They can\u2019t identify their reflection and so don\u2019t think the soot is odd.<\/p>

Now repeat the exercise with a two-year-old\u00a0(but\u00a0good luck getting them to sit still).\u00a0Most children of this age will touch the dirty mark, which psychologists interpret as a sign, not just that the child can recognise its image, but that it is becoming self-aware.<\/p>

The test was devised in 1970 by American psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr, who wanted to see if animals could recognise themselves. Since then, many animals have taken the test, but only a few have passed. These include great apes<\/a>, killer whales<\/a>, bottlenose dolphins<\/a>, Eurasian magpies<\/a>, a fish called the cleaner wrass<\/a>e and an\u00a0Asian elephant<\/a>.<\/p>

Animals that have failed the test include giant pandas, sea lions, parrots, New Caledonian crows, various macaques\u2026 and cats and dogs.\u00a0<\/p>

Dogs rely heavily on their sense of smell, so critics argue that the mirror test is unfair to dogs. A better experiment is to collect fresh urine samples from your dog and several others, and then monitor your dog\u2019s reactions to them.<\/p>

Researchers have found, not just that dogs can discriminate their own odour from that of other dogs<\/a>, but that when that odour is tainted with an additional smell \u2013 analogous to when the babies\u2019 faces\u00a0are tainted with soot \u2013 they spend more time sniffing it. This suggests that dogs can recognise themselves after all.<\/p>

As for cats? Good luck persuading them to do anything even remotely acquiescent!\u00a0<\/p>

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>