Integrated essay- self awareness among animals

The lecture counts some weaknesses that cast doubt on the results of the " Mark test" . According to the reading passage, the " mark test" gives us reliable clues of self-awareness among chimpanzees. However, the lecturer undermines such premise by mentioning the following problems. For the first thing, not all the studies on " mark test" have lead to consistent findings. For example, in one research only one out of eleven chimpanzees touched the mark on his face after being exposed to a mirror. This is not in accordance with the passage that says monkeys touch their facial mark more often when they see themselves in the mirror. Furthermore, it should be considered that chimpanzees may show some behavior with or without a mirror. For example, in a study, one chimpanzee rubbed off the mark on his face even before seeing his image in the mirror. This also is inconsistent with the reading's claim that touching the mark in front of a mirror is a response to self-recognition. Finally, self-grooming and making facial expressions may be merely a normal social behavior among the chimpanzees. No matter there is a mirror image or there is another monkey, chimpanzees try to fit into social groups by making such expressions. This refutes the passage that says self-grooming in front of a mirror is a good reason to believe that chimpanzees recognize themselves in the mirror due to self-awareness.