PERSONS---when does an infant become self-aware?

     When does self-consciousness emerge in babies?
Even before birth a fetus is aware of its surroundings in various ways.
But just when a baby becomes aware of itself is not immediately clear.
               
     However, anyone can try this simple experiment—the wink test:
When you have a baby’s attention, wink at it.
If the baby attempts to wink back, it must be aware that it exists:
The baby thinks: I am a person like the one who is winking at me.
       
     Usually the baby will close both eyes at once,
since it has not learned how to close one eye at a time.
But the fact that the child has tried to wink
shows that the baby has recognized you
as another creature like itself, with eyes just like its own.
The baby’s mind has made the connection between
the holes thru which it sees the world and other people’s eyes.
And the infant is attempting to imitate a behavior it has seen.

     The imitation of winking is essentially different
from most other forms of imitation.
When an infant attempts to imitate the actions of human hands or feet,
it does so by seeing the hands and feet of other people
and seeing it own hands and feet.
The similarities of form and function soon become obvious.

     But the infant cannot see its own eyes.
The infant is self-aware enough to know it has eyes that can wink.

Consciousness                         WHEN IS A PERSON?                        by James Park   11

Created 10-28-2008; Revised