Mirror test

A mirror test is called an experiment with higher organisms, in which a mirror is held in the field of view, and the reaction is observed. In a variation of video material is used in the video test. Humans are consistently the mirror test from the second year of life and the video test from the age of five. Starting at about one and a half years is characterized in the mirror test, a recognition from. Before the " mirror stage " the mirror image is ignored.

A typical form of the test is The painting of a paint mark on a point which can not perceive the test animal without tools: for example, on the forehead ( Rouge - test). Is then observed whether the test animal while looking at own reflection shows a reaction, which suggests that the stain on your own body is present. Such a reaction may be, for example, that it attempts to wipe off the stain.

Mirror test and awareness

The mirror test is interpreted to mean that he will deliver evidence for the existence of a consciousness more, a self- consciousness. It is widely accepted that the " existence " of the mirror test is a necessary criterion to attribute cognitive ability of a species to be able to recognize one's own self. It is controversial whether the mirror test provides a sufficient criterion.

Mirror test with animals

Failure to pass the mirror test is expressed in most species by the fact that they welcome the mirror image as a foreign individual - depending on the type, these can be threats, warning sounds or simple ignore.

A positive result is not always readily discernible. So a colored spot on the skin or a colored clip in the fur can often not be attached unnoticed or Abwischreaktion is not possible (eg in toothed whales ), or such a mark would already by observant members of social groups away ( in apes ). So one has to resort to simple mirror test without marking and then observe whether the behavior is atypical compared to the response to a foreign individual.

A prerequisite for the self-perception was observed in 2009 in a test in young pigs: After a short adjustment period they studied relatively quickly and specifically a feeding trough, whose exact position they were able to locate only to its mirror image.

Mammals

• Apes: the great apes pass the mirror test regularly. A frequent observation, which is often seen as self - recognition in monkeys and humans, is the close approach to kicking the mirror with atypical looking at the teeth, which appears to the observer as violent cutting faces. Chimpanzees - Both many Common chimpanzees and bonobos many pass the mirror test. After a short phase with warning sounds (such as an individual to a foreign group) the similar behavior is detected, even by tests with playful tossing of the arms, then pre- contact to the mirror and examining the teeth. All of this only applies to monkeys who grew up with social contact; isolated raised monkeys do not recognize each other.
• Orangutans - exist throughout the mirror test. You have a way and use it freely then with a hand mirror.
• Gorillas - pass the mirror test is generally not - with the exception of the individual Koko sufficient strength to withstand a thousand symbols of human sign language after training. It is believed that at typical gorilla behavior of eye contact is avoided and therefore a mirror image is not investigated, whereby a decision on the content can not be done.
• Capuchin monkey - show a mixed behavior between Welcoming a foreign individual and inspection of one's self. You can not decide to change themselves and constantly change the reaction pattern.

• Magpies - experiments of the Ruhr- University Bochum from the years 2000 and 2008, report of passing the mirror test at magpies that had been unnoticed marked with a spot of color: "The result was convincing, the interest of the birds was directed only unique to your own red throat patch when they vis -à-vis were at her reflection. [ ... ] How many of those components that enable human self-knowledge, the magpie are implemented in highly developed brain, we do not know. It remains to note that magpies front of the mirror responded similarly as chimpanzees and orangutans in comparable tests, which were interpreted in these apes as an indication of self-knowledge. "
• Doves - tests of Epstein, Lanza and Skinner, published in 1981, claiming an existence of mirror tests, the experiments are, however, doubted.

Video Test

A modification of the mirror test is the video test, which is used for further exploration of the ego - consciousness. If it is a live broadcast ( here at two -to five- year-old children ), so the stain was removed immediately. If the video was recorded but a few minutes lag for three year olds, so this was not done. Upon request by the supervisor, " Who is that? " But clearly was an "I " for an answer.

Obviously, the time context in terms of the ego is not yet sufficiently developed. The video test at five year olds, however, immediately leads to the reaction of the Wegwischens. This raises the question of the definition of self-consciousness that is understood in a different context than their own essences in a social context. However, this also requires memory and planning situations.

Although the great apes show no reaction to the video test, there are other observations that the monkeys have a social consciousness and thus circumvent planning - to deception and conspiracy. The importance of video tests for the definition of self-awareness is therefore controversial; however, it is gladly taken as counter- evidence for the thesis that the mirror test would be sufficient.