Lecture 15: Development of the Self

Question 1

What is the developmental perspective?

Answer 1

• intersted in change with age.
• within social - cultural environments.
• Interested in infancy.

Question 2

What are social responses?

Answer 2

• treating mirror image as social partner, ambiguous emotional displays, aggressive displays, shy or coy reactions.
• typically found in 6 months in western cultures.
• found in older individuals. Initial responses when mirror niave, initially when unaware of a mirror.
• social behaviour giving objects and giving commands.

Question 3

What is self directed responses?

Answer 3

• watching in mirror while touching self or use mirror image to explore self.
• found early as 15 months.
• typcially not counted as self aware, not definitive, not localised..

Question 4

What is self awareness?

Answer 4

• mirror guided mark touching self label.
• mirror self recognition.
• typically found at 18-24 months on western cultures.

Question 5

What does passing the mark and mirror test mean?

Answer 5

• develolment of sense of self.
• objective self
• categorical self
• that an autonomous intentional agent has emerged.
• modt parsimonious - MSR indicates kinesthetic visual matching.
• most rich - capacity to introspect and reflect on own mental state.
• MSR captures some aspect of mental representations (MR) of the self cognitive capacity for secondary representation.
• mental representation of self V reflected image.
• Evidence - MSR correlated with other tasks requiring MR - pretend play.
• MSR linked with empathy & theory of mind.
• empathy linked with MSR.

Question 6

What is the evidence link for MSR and Empathy Link?

Answer 6

• Recognisers = awareness of mark.
• Transitionals = strong avoidance of mirror some identified mark but not consistently.
• Nonrecognisers = image treated as playmate search behind mirror.
• Helpers all identified mark SR is necessary, but not sufficient , condition for Empathy.

Question 7

How is the self other distinction relevant to MSR and empathy?

Answer 7

• it occurs after the development of the correct use of the word ‘ME’.
• ‘ME’ indicates that the self can have an outside appearance - that self can be seen in the mirror.
• ‘YOU’ is the symbolic representation of other persons.
• the self other distinction is not just physical or psychological.

Question 8

What is the Phylogeny Argument?

Answer 8

• Chimpanzees solve Kohler’s task based on true mental problem solving.
• this can’t be accomplished without a truce mental representation of the self to move around in imaginary space.

Question 9

Do Monkeys pass the MSR test?

Answer 9

• No because they do not recognise their self image in mirror.
• they can understand however, that the mirror reflects the world.
• but chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas do pass. Therefore, self awareness evolved since split from monkeys.

Question 10

What is the Mirror self recognition test?

Answer 10

• index of self awareness. Mark test - objective gold standard of cognitive capacity.
• evolutionary history- monkeys don’t pass, but chimpanzees and humans do.
• develolment- humans pass around 24 months of age. Chimpanzees pass around 28months of age.

Question 11

What was Bard, Todd, Bernier, love & Leavens (2006) infancy study?

Answer 11

• replication of Lin et al (1990) with chimpanzees infants focus on infants from 19 - 30 months.
• Human children - group testing
• a 15 month group (too young to to show (MSR)
• a 24 month group (all should show MSR).
• Procedure -
• Free play
• overt application of mark
• 15-20 min to observe spontaneous behaviour.
• Martial prompts, who’s that? Can you wipe the make - up? false negative - mark doll and can you wipe the make up.

Question 12

At what age do humans and chimpanzees show onset mirror behaviours?

Answer 12

• monitoring contingency of own movements and image: humans - 15 months, Chimpanzees - 19 months
• Using mirror image to guide self directed behaviours: humans - 15 months, Chimpanzees - 19 months.
• Using the mirror image to locate the mark: humans - 18 months, Chimpanzees - 28 months.

Question 13

What is the effect of different testing methods?

Answer 13

• Mother prompts the human infant: Who’s that? while pointing in the mirror.
• This spontaneous behaviour was observed.
• Human infants may engage in MSR behaviours in absence of prompts.
• Maternally prompted face wiping:
• mostly to nose, cheeks and mouth
• not mirror guided.

Question 14

Does maternal scaffolding enhance MSR?

Answer 14

• enhances mg touches close to mark in both age groups.
• enhances in 24 months but not in 15 months.
• 24 month olds recognised self when prompted by mother.

Question 15

What is mirror recognition?

Answer 15

• similar development in chimpanzees and humans
• same developmental patterns
• similar age of passing the mark test
• Importance of looking at the target behaviour
• Human children even at 24 months, have difficulty touching the mark - especially while looking in the mirror.
• Chimpanzees, although somewhat delayed in acquiring the behaviour, touch the marked area with precision.

Question 16

What was concluded?

Answer 16

• MSR = self awareness
• Combining development and comparative perspectives - development process shared by child and chimp shared pattern.
• Monkeys have social responses to mirror image and understanding of mirrors properties but no contingency and no mirror guided touches.
• Necessary & sufficient cognitive pre - conditions
• understanding of mirror is necessary not sufficient
• Exploration of contingency development path to self - awareness.