PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Mirror Test, Autobiographical Memory, Imaginary Audience

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jordan Poppenk

Document Summary

Describe how the rouge test is used to reveal a sense of self. First used in animal research, initially chimps when they saw their reflection didn"t realize it was them, however upon repeated exposure they were able to decipher that the reflection was their own. Describe findings of animal research on sense of self. Not all primates can identify themselves due to research showing that monkeys cannot identify themselves and they can only make environmental exploration. Only a few other species have been found to be capable of mirror self-recognition (orangutans, gorillas, gibbons, dolphins, elephants, and some species of birds) This ability is not as common in animals but is nearly universal in humans. Discuss how language contributes to the development of a sense of self. The development of a sense of self increases as language increases with a child"s ability to refer to themselves verbally, either by name or pronoun, by the age of two.