Humans do not understand mirror reflections, say researchers

Humans do not understand mirror reflections, say researchers

Given that the "mirror test" is often used to test self-awareness in nonhuman animals, I think this study is very interesting. Perhaps some "failure" by animals can be chalked up to their difficulty understanding the same concepts that the undoubtedly self-aware human subjects have trouble with? Dr. Bertamini's quote about the virtual worls we see in mirrors (at the end of the article) should offer us a reason to re-examine the mirror test as a tool for understanding self-awareness.

If the "passing" response on the mirror test requires more than basic self-awareness - say some complex philosophical view of the world that perplexes many people - then we need to work harder to find a test that can help us probe self-awareness more reliably.