3 ms·
I've always wondered, but could never find good sources on this: couldn't MSR results simply be produced by mirror neurons firing? I.e., touching a marked part
by curl-up 4y ago
I've always wondered, but could never find good sources on this: couldn't MSR results simply be produced by mirror neurons firing? I.e., touching a marked part of the body does not mean "Animal in the mirror is me", it can simply mean "Marked part of that animal is 'itching' me"? Similarly to how amputees can "scratch their itch" in an amputated limb by observing another person scratching themselves.
Are there MSR tests that used windows to other animals/puppets with marked spots instead of mirrors as a control?
- kazinator 4y agoMost of the criticisms of the technique revolve around false negatives, but you bring up an interesting point. Still, "marked part of the animal is itching me" shows that the animal can identify a marked body part in the image (e.g. forehead) and indicate the corresponding part on it own body. The "self" concept has to be involved there to some degree even if not to the point of "the animal I see is actually me".
- curl-up 4y agoMirror neurons seem to be the primary mechanism of learning from other members of the group. So in a sense, every species able to learn from others (by replicating the behaviour) would automatically also be able to identify the "self"? This seems like a too broad "definition", but maybe it actually isn't at all (i.e., maybe learning by replicating is actually a "stronger" condition than knowing about self). When I mentioned the "itch", it was mainly about the reflex a lot of animals have, not a "conscious identification". Think about reflexively licking your lips when you see someone else get sauce/cream/beer-foam on their lips, or even the reflex of getting aroused when observing others being aroused?