Mirror Self-recognition: a Review and Critique of Attempts to Promote and Engineer Self-recognition in Primates

Overview

Journal Primates

Specialty Biology

Date 2015 Sep 6

PMID 26341947

Citations 48

Authors

James R Anderson

Gordon G Gallup Jr

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We review research on reactions to mirrors and self-recognition in nonhuman primates, focusing on methodological issues. Starting with the initial demonstration in chimpanzees in 1970 and subsequent attempts to extend this to other species, self-recognition in great apes is discussed with emphasis on spontaneous manifestations of mirror-guided self-exploration as well as spontaneous use of the mirror to investigate foreign marks on otherwise nonvisible body parts-the mark test. Attempts to show self-recognition in other primates are examined with particular reference to the lack of convincing examples of spontaneous mirror-guided self-exploration, and efforts to engineer positive mark test responses by modifying the test or using conditioning techniques. Despite intensive efforts to demonstrate self-recognition in other primates, we conclude that to date there is no compelling evidence that prosimians, monkeys, or lesser apes-gibbons and siamangs-are capable of mirror self-recognition.

Citing Articles

Wild recognition: conducting the mark test for mirror self-recognition on wild baboons.

Ahmad E, Reiderman H, Huchard E, Delaunay A, Roatti V, Cowlishaw G Proc Biol Sci. 2025; 292(2039):20241933.

PMID: 39837506 PMC: 11750390. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1933.

How to grow a self: development of self-representation in the Bayesian brain.

Wozniak M Front Hum Neurosci. 2024; 18:1441931.

PMID: 39624185 PMC: 11609191. DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1441931.

Cats are (almost) liquid!-Cats selectively rely on body size awareness when negotiating short openings.

Pongracz P iScience. 2024; 27(10):110799.

PMID: 39474081 PMC: 11519432. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110799.

Cleaner fish with mirror self-recognition capacity precisely realize their body size based on their mental image.

Kobayashi T, Kohda M, Awata S, Bshary R, Sogawa S Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):20202.

PMID: 39261520 PMC: 11390716. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70138-7.

Olfactory self-recognition in two species of snake.

Freiburger T, Miller N, Skinner M Proc Biol Sci. 2024; 291(2020):20240125.

PMID: 38565155 PMC: 10987230. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0125.

References

de Veer M, Gallup Jr G, Theall L, van den Bos R, Povinelli D . An 8-year longitudinal study of mirror self-recognition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Neuropsychologia. 2002; 41(2):229-34. DOI: 10.1016/s0028-3932(02)00153-7. View

Hauser M, Miller C, Liu K, Gupta R . Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) fail to show mirror-guided self-exploration. Am J Primatol. 2001; 53(3):131-7. DOI: 10.1002/1098-2345(200103)53:3<131::AID-AJP4>3.0.CO;2-X. View

Plotnik J, de Waal F, Reiss D . Self-recognition in an Asian elephant. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006; 103(45):17053-7. PMC: 1636577. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0608062103. View

Rajala A, Reininger K, Lancaster K, Populin L . Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) do recognize themselves in the mirror: implications for the evolution of self-recognition. PLoS One. 2010; 5(9). PMC: 2947497. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012865. View

ANDERSON J . The development of self-recognition: a review. Dev Psychobiol. 1984; 17(1):35-49. DOI: 10.1002/dev.420170104. View

Gallup Jr G, Wallnau L, Suarez S . Failure to find self-recognition in mother-infant and infant-infant rhesus monkey pairs. Folia Primatol (Basel). 1980; 33(3):210-9. DOI: 10.1159/000155935. View

Shillito , Gallup Jr , BECK . Factors affecting mirror behaviour in western lowland gorillas, Gorilla gorilla. Anim Behav. 1999; 57(5):999-1004. DOI: 10.1006/anbe.1998.1062. View

Toda K, Platt M . Animal cognition: monkeys pass the mirror test. Curr Biol. 2015; 25(2):R64-R66. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.12.005. View

van Veluw S, Chance S . Differentiating between self and others: an ALE meta-analysis of fMRI studies of self-recognition and theory of mind. Brain Imaging Behav. 2014; 8(1):24-38. DOI: 10.1007/s11682-013-9266-8. View

10.

Prior H, Schwarz A, Gunturkun O . Mirror-induced behavior in the magpie (Pica pica): evidence of self-recognition. PLoS Biol. 2008; 6(8):e202. PMC: 2517622. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060202. View

11.

Butler D, Suddendorf T . Reducing the neural search space for hominid cognition: what distinguishes human and great ape brains from those of small apes?. Psychon Bull Rev. 2014; 21(3):590-619. DOI: 10.3758/s13423-013-0559-0. View

12.

Platek S, Myers T, Critton S, Gallup Jr G . A left-hand advantage for self-description: the impact of schizotypal personality traits. Schizophr Res. 2003; 65(2-3):147-51. DOI: 10.1016/s0920-9964(02)00494-2. View

13.

AMSTERDAM B . Mirror self-image reactions before age two. Dev Psychobiol. 1972; 5(4):297-305. DOI: 10.1002/dev.420050403. View

14.

De Lathouwers M, Van Elsacker L . Comparing maternal styles in bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Am J Primatol. 2004; 64(4):411-23. DOI: 10.1002/ajp.20089. View

15.

Carbone L, Harris R, Gnerre S, Veeramah K, Lorente-Galdos B, Huddleston J . Gibbon genome and the fast karyotype evolution of small apes. Nature. 2014; 513(7517):195-201. PMC: 4249732. DOI: 10.1038/nature13679. View

16.

Menzel Jr E, Savage-Rumbaugh E, Lawson J . Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) spatial problem solving with the use of mirrors and televised equivalents of mirrors. J Comp Psychol. 1985; 99(2):211-7. View

17.

Ujhelyi M, Merker B, Buk P, Geissmann T . Observations on the behavior of gibbons (Hylobates leucogenys, H. gabriellae, and H. lar) in the presence of mirrors. J Comp Psychol. 2000; 114(3):253-62. DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.114.3.253. View

18.

Feinberg T, Keenan J . Where in the brain is the self?. Conscious Cogn. 2005; 14(4):661-78. DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2005.01.002. View

19.

Povinelli D, Rulf A, Landau K, Bierschwale D . Self-recognition in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): distribution, ontogeny, and patterns of emergence. J Comp Psychol. 1993; 107(4):347-72. DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.107.4.347. View

20.

Gallup Jr G, Suarez S . Social responding to mirrors in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): effects of temporary mirror removal. J Comp Psychol. 1991; 105(4):376-9. DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.105.4.376. View