Videotape Representations of Self and Others

Abstract

Mirrors are unique surfaces since they reflect one’s image and provide one-to-one correspondence between one’s action and the image. In the last chapter, it was clearly demonstrated that children under two years of age are able to recognize themselves in mirrors. Visual self recognition was defined as self-directed behavior toward a mark on the nose and toward other parts of the body. Although infants did not exhibit mark-directed behavior prior to 15 months of age, they did exhibit body-directed behavior at earlier ages. Moreover, they directed more of it in the marked than in the unmarked condition, thus demonstrating some awareness of the mark as early as 9 months of age, even though mark recognition per se did not occur until later.