Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 November 2009
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).
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