The Mirror Test is kind of like Hitler. In any discussion of animal cognition, somebody is going to bring it up. The conversation usually goes like this:

A: So, most animals can’t recognize themselves in the mirror

B: Which animals specifically?

A: Oh, dogs, cats, betta fish, monkeys, that sort of thing. Anyway as I was saying, those animals can’t. But some smart animals can recognize themselves in the mirror.

B: Such as?

A: Well, chimpanzees and orangutans for a start.

B: Makes sense

A: Not gorillas though, at least not always. But dolphins and elephants can!

B: Yeah, those animals are smart as well

A: Magpies can, though crows cant.

B: Sure, ok

A: And cleaner wrasse can as well.

B: The uhh, finger-sized fish? You sure?

A: Yeah. And also ants.

B: What.

What?

Frans de Waal drew this picture of an orangutan putting lettuce on her head and then actually got it published in a real journal. Based.

What do we actually mean by the “Mirror Test”

“The mirror test” elides a bit of a distinction between different kinds of test. There's lots of things you can do which look like “put an animal in front [...]

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Outline:

(01:48) What do we actually mean by the Mirror Test

(03:07) The Complicated Ones

(03:54) The Unbelievable Ones

(05:17) Making Sense Of It All

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First published:
April 15th, 2026

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/5eLoZQshfre8DGaxd/the-mirror-test-is-complicated

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Hands placing a headband with ears on an orangutan.

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“The Mirror Test Is Complicated” by J Bostock

LessWrong (30+ Karma)