Mirror Self-Recognition

The response toward the own image reflected on the mirror has been a topic of cognition since the landmark paper by Gordon Gallup Jr. in 1970. Humans start to recognize own image on the mirror at around 2 years old. Chimpanzees also show the evidence of mirror self recognition (MSR). The start of the MSR depends on the experience of being exposed to the mirror. The response toward the mirror develop in the following four stages: social response toward the other individual, exploration behind the mirror, contingent movement such as moving hands while watching the mirror, and the self-directed behavior while watching the mirror.