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Visual self-recognition in mirrors and live videos: Evidence for a developmental asynchrony
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Visual self-recognition in mirrors and live videos: Evidence for a developmental asynchrony

Thomas Suddendorf, Gabrielle Simcock and Mark Nielsen
Cognitive Development, Vol.22(2), pp.185-196
2007
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2006.09.003
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2006.09.003View
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Abstract

mirror self-recognition vdeo video deficit
Three experiments (N = 123) investigated the development of live-video self-recognition using the traditional mark test. In Experiment 1, 24-, 30- and 36-month-old children saw a live video image of equal size and orientation as a control group saw in a mirror. The video version of the test was more difficult than the mirror version with only the oldest children's performance approaching ceiling. In Experiment 2, most 24-month-olds showed self-recognition when presented with a TV-set that featured a mirror in place of a screen. This finding does not substantiate the possibility that expectations about what appears on TV are responsible for the asynchrony. In Experiment 3, children were given a mark-test involving only their legs. Again, a video version was more difficult than previously reported performance with mirrors, suggesting that the impossibility of eye-contact in video cannot explain this developmental asynchrony. The findings suggest that self-recognition can be added to the growing list of contexts in which 2-year-olds display what has been called a "video deficit" [Anderson, D. R., & Pempek, T. A. (2005). Television and very young children. American Behavioral Scientist, 48, 505-532].

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Web Of Science research areas
Psychology, Developmental
Psychology, Experimental
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