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Mirror Self-Recognition in Pigeons: Beyond the Pass-or-Fail Criterion
Neslihan Wittek1, Hiroshi Matsui1, Nicole Kessel2
1Faculty of Psychology, Department of Biopsychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychology
|June 3, 2021
Summary
Pigeons differentiate their mirror image from other birds, indicating a gradual process in mirror self-recognition. They treat reflections as uncanny, not as themselves, supporting a step-by-step cognitive evolution.
Area of Science:
- Comparative Cognition
- Animal Behavior
- Evolution of Self-Awareness
Background:
- Mirror self-recognition (MSR) is a rare cognitive ability, suggesting a significant evolutionary threshold.
- Previous research indicates that even species failing MSR, like monkeys, can distinguish mirror images from conspecifics.
- This suggests a more gradualist view of MSR development, possibly involving independent cognitive aptitudes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether pigeons, capable of detecting movement synchronicity but not self-recognition in mirrors, treat their mirror image differently from an unfamiliar conspecific.
- To test the hypothesis that MSR develops gradually through distinct cognitive abilities.
- To explore the intermediate stages of MSR evolution.
Main Methods:
- Pigeons were presented with a choice between approaching a mirror or a transparent barrier (Plexiglas) to access food.
- An unfamiliar pigeon simultaneously approached the food source behind the Plexiglas barrier.
- Behavioral responses towards the mirror image and the foreign pigeon were meticulously analyzed.
Main Results:
- Pigeons treated the foreign pigeon as a competitor, actively engaging with it.
- Pigeons exhibited hesitation and cautious behavior towards their mirror image, similar to encountering an unknown conspecific.
- The results suggest pigeons do not equate their mirror reflection with themselves but perceive it as an uncanny entity.
Conclusions:
- Pigeons' behavior supports a gradualist model of mirror self-recognition, dissociating the detection of self-movement from self-identity.
- The findings align with observations in monkeys, indicating that the inability to recognize oneself in a mirror does not preclude differentiating mirror images from conspecifics.
- This study provides evidence for intermediate cognitive steps in the evolution of self-awareness.
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