Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pftt2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-07T00:58:07.211Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

26 - Further reflections on mirror-usage by pigeons: Lessons from Winnie-the-Pooh and Pinocchio too

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2009

Sue Taylor Parker
Affiliation:
Sonoma State University, California
Robert W. Mitchell
Affiliation:
Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond
Maria L. Boccia
Affiliation:
University of Colorado
Get access

Summary

In the Disney film version of Milne's (1958) Winnie-the-Pooh there is a scene where Tigger (a tiger) introduces himself to Winnie, or Pooh bear, as being unique. “I'm the only one!” he announces proudly. Pointing to a mirror in which Tigger's appearance is reflected, Pooh responds by asking, “Then, who's that?” Tigger's response is interesting. Instead of reasoning that the mirror image is a reflected identical representation of himself – he is, after all, unique – he concludes instead that it must be an impostor. His subsequent attempts to threaten this other animal succeed only in scaring himself under a bed. Pooh's behavior toward his own mirrored reflection also is interesting. When some of the sewing on his back comes undone – he is a stuffed teddy bear – Pooh uses the mirror to guide his efforts at repairing that area of his body that he otherwise cannot see directly. After finishing this task, Pooh turns, faces the mirror directly, and says, “Thank you.” Pooh's behavior suggests that he recognizes the functional significance of the spatial invariants between objects in space, including his body, and their images reflected in the mirror. However, he nevertheless perceives the image as “other” and fails to recognize that it is simply a representation of himself. Pooh doesn't grasp the fact that he is literally talking to himself (cf. Jaynes, 1976). Pooh was, after all, “a bear of very little brain” (Milne, 1958).

Type
Chapter
Information
Self-Awareness in Animals and Humans
Developmental Perspectives
, pp. 392 - 410
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×