Self-Awareness
So, the current wisdom is that babies become self-aware at around 18 months. The test for this is that they place the baby before a mirror, with a dab of lipstick on the baby's nose. If the baby, seeing her reflection, wipes her own nose, the conclusion is that the baby has realized that the baby in the mirror is, in fact, herself, and is, therefore, self-aware. Before this age, if you dab the baby's nose with lipstick, she won't wipe at it, because she doesn't make the connection between the baby in the mirror and herself.
Now, I'm not convinced that a)the baby is wiping her nose because she's only just realized the baby in the mirror is her (maybe before this age she just doesn't mind having lipstick on her nose), and b) that knowing the baby in the mirror is her denotes self-awareness (which is defined how, anyway?).
Elizabeth is ten months old. We have a full-length mirror in our living room. She takes great delight in the baby in the mirror, smiles and waves and chatters at her, constantly. I don't expect her to know that it's her own reflection for another 8-10 months.
But, when the Mommy in the mirror appears, behind the baby in the mirror, Elizabeth turns her head to smile at me, knowing I'm standing behind her. When a spoon of food appears in the mirror, she opens her mouth and turns her face, unerringly, towards the spoon in my hand. She doesn't wipe things off her face when she sees them in the mirror, but, then, she doesn't wipe things off her face as a matter of course.
So. Obviously she's realized that there's a direct correlation between what goes on in the mirror and what goes on in her world. Does she know the baby in the mirror is her and the Mommy in the mirror is me? Is the wiping of the nose really a sign of self awareness? Is it really evidence that the baby recognizes herself in the mirror? Or is it just the sign that the baby doesn't want things on her face for the first time? And, if so, is _that_ a sign of self-awareness? Selfconsciousness about a change in one's appearance?
Now, I'm not convinced that a)the baby is wiping her nose because she's only just realized the baby in the mirror is her (maybe before this age she just doesn't mind having lipstick on her nose), and b) that knowing the baby in the mirror is her denotes self-awareness (which is defined how, anyway?).
Elizabeth is ten months old. We have a full-length mirror in our living room. She takes great delight in the baby in the mirror, smiles and waves and chatters at her, constantly. I don't expect her to know that it's her own reflection for another 8-10 months.
But, when the Mommy in the mirror appears, behind the baby in the mirror, Elizabeth turns her head to smile at me, knowing I'm standing behind her. When a spoon of food appears in the mirror, she opens her mouth and turns her face, unerringly, towards the spoon in my hand. She doesn't wipe things off her face when she sees them in the mirror, but, then, she doesn't wipe things off her face as a matter of course.
So. Obviously she's realized that there's a direct correlation between what goes on in the mirror and what goes on in her world. Does she know the baby in the mirror is her and the Mommy in the mirror is me? Is the wiping of the nose really a sign of self awareness? Is it really evidence that the baby recognizes herself in the mirror? Or is it just the sign that the baby doesn't want things on her face for the first time? And, if so, is _that_ a sign of self-awareness? Selfconsciousness about a change in one's appearance?