Spontaneous expression of mirror self-recognition in monkeys after learning precise visual-proprioceptive association for mirror images.

ABSTRACT: Mirror self-recognition (MSR) is generally considered to be an intrinsic cognitive ability found only in humans and a few species of great apes. Rhesus monkeys do not spontaneously show MSR, but they have the ability to use a mirror as an instrument to find hidden objects. The mechanism underlying the transition from simple mirror use to MSR remains unclear. Here we show that rhesus monkeys could show MSR after learning precise visual-proprioceptive association for mirror images. We trained head-fixed monkeys on a chair in front of a mirror to touch with spatiotemporal precision a laser pointer light spot on an adjacent board that could only be seen in the mirror. After several weeks of training, when the same laser pointer light was projected to the monkey's face, a location not used in t

SUBMITTER: Chang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5373394 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature