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Related Experiment Videos

The monkey in the mirror: hardly a stranger.

Frans B M de Waal1, Marietta Dindo, Cassiopeia A Freeman

  • 1Living Links Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. dewaal@emory.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|August 2, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) may not view mirrors as strangers. Monkeys reacted differently to mirrors than to unfamiliar conspecifics, suggesting a unique recognition of their reflection.

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Area of Science:

  • Primatology
  • Animal Cognition
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Traditional views suggest monkeys perceive mirror reflections as strangers, unlike apes and humans who exhibit self-recognition.
  • This study challenges the assumption that monkeys invariably fail to distinguish their reflection from another individual.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) differentiate between mirror reflections and live conspecifics.
  • To assess whether monkeys recognize their reflection as distinct from an actual social partner.

Main Methods:

  • Eighteen brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) were exposed to three conditions: a familiar partner, an unfamiliar partner, and a mirror.
  • Behavioral responses, including social interactions and anxiety indicators, were recorded and analyzed.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Blind coders evaluated behavioral differences across conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • Female monkeys displayed more eye contact and friendly behavior, with fewer anxiety signs towards mirrors compared to unfamiliar partners.
    • Male monkeys exhibited varied but distinct responses to mirrors versus unfamiliar conspecifics.
    • Monkeys immediately discriminated between the mirror and live partner conditions.

    Conclusions:

    • Capuchin monkeys appear to recognize their mirror reflection as unique, not confusing it with a conspecific.
    • These findings suggest capuchins may possess an intermediate level of self-other distinction.
    • The study indicates a more nuanced understanding of mirror-mediated behavior in non-ape primates.