Mirror Self-Recognition in ni-Vanuatu Toddlers

The Mirror Self-Recognition (MSR) test is the most commonly used assessment for capturing the onset of objective self-awareness in infancy, i.e., the ability to think about oneself. Among Western urban samples, 18 months marks the onset of this ability, and the majority of infants pass the MSR test by 24 months. Studies conducted with non-Western rural samples, however, show that passing rates are significantly lower in this age group. The developmental trajectory of self-recognition outside of the urban Western context is currently unknown.The current study was conducted in Tanna, Vanuatu, a small-scale island society located in the South Pacific. Fifty-five children aged 17 – 36 months were recruited. Children’s spontaneous reactions to the mirror were observed during a familiarization phase. Then, children received a modified, culturally sensitive version of the MSR test. Finally, a leg-recognition task that generates equivalent performance among Western toddlers was administered.In this thesis, my goal was to identify the developmental trajectory of self-recognition among Tannese children. In order to go beyond the pass-fail distinction, I present the behavioral and emotional responses shown in front of the mirror, explore age-related changes and discuss similarities and differences between behaviors observed in our sample and ones previously described in Western literature. In addition, I explore the validity of the MSR test in this sociocultural environment by examining the associations between children’s performance on the MSR test, the leg-recognition test, and their self-aware responses in front of the mirror, such as grooming and embarrassment.Results reveal that ni-Vanuatu toddlers pass the MSR test at 24 months at the earliest and that the success rates increase with age. The repertoire of children’s reactions to the mirror resembles those found among Western samples. The most common responses include various contingency testing behaviors, observed at all ages. Finally, children’s performance on the MSR test, the leg- recognition test, and their display of grooming and embarrassment are associated, which supports the hypothesis that the MSR test, when implemented using a culturally sensitive procedure, is a valid measure of objective self-awareness in this the context of Tanna, Vanuatu.