Theory of Mind and Self-Awareness in Animals

While there are few animals that exhibit any level of having a theory of mind aside from humans, I do believe there are more animals that show an understanding of self-awareness. I do not believe that self-awareness and theory of mind are direct parts of each other, but rather two separate levels of cognition in the mind of animals. Gordon Gallup developed the mirror test to find an answer to whether or not animals can be self-aware. Possessing self-awareness may be the first requirement in having a theory of mind because one would have to be able to recognize themselves through self-awareness to know that they are a separate being from another animal of the same species. One example of this is dolphins acting differently when looking at a mirror image of themselves instead of acting how they would if they came into contact with another dolphin. They swivel to look at parts of their body that they cannot see without the assistance of the mirror and flap their fins quickly as seen in the video below by BBC.

The early stage of theory of mind can be demonstrated in a child by running several tests that involve object constancy and whether or not another person will be able to know what they are thinking or know of. This develops around a year of age and if the tests are done before a year then the child will answer questions giving the indication that the other person who an object was hidden from would know what the child knows and will be able to find the object with no problems.