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Film summary
Early in life, your brain does not recognise your reflection as 'you'. The mirror test is a classic experiment which shows when we become able to recognise ourselves.Key facts
- Being aware of your 'self' is not a skill humans are born with
- It can take around two years before our brains have any sense of self-awareness
- Before we develop self-recognition we cannot develop an autobiographical memory
- The development of self-awareness marks the start of our own life history
Transcript
A monkey can't recognise itself in a mirror.
But a chimp can.
It's an ability we take so much for granted, that it's hard to imagine life without it.
But being aware of your 'self' is not a skill humans are born with...
When you started your life, your brain did not …
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