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Numerous studies with different methods have been conducted to determine whether animals possess intelligence and what that intelligence is. Elephant mirror research was one of these studies covered in the article. Mirror study indicates elephants are pretty smart. The research is valid since the ability to recognize oneself in a mirror marks self-consciousness, so the study demonstrates the ability of elephants to be aware of their body.
Few animals possess self-awareness or the capacity to distinguish themselves from the outside world. It is difficult to spot, so the mirror test is primarily used to look for animals that are self-aware among the animals. The mirror method, in which an animal either understands or does not understand that it is looking in the mirror when it sees its reflection, was used to conclude the intelligence of elephants (Gallup & Anderson, 2020). The mirror test is not perfect for animals whose eyesight is not the most developed sense organ. However, in this study, the elephant was only focused on the mark in the mirror (Bowman, n.d.). I concur that the experiment shows that these animals have self-awareness because many others react to their reflection as if it were a different subject without understanding their own body and movements.
In conclusion, mirror examination is one of the primary and most reliable methods to investigate the presence of self-awareness in animals. The ability to distinguish oneself from others is the primary sign of intelligence. Therefore, I am confident in the results of the elephant study despite some shortcomings of the mirror method. Elephants have always been distinguished by their skills; they can be trained, which already indicates the presence of some intelligence, which was proved by the experiment.
References
Gallup, G. G., & Anderson, J. R. (2020). Self-recognition in animals: Where do we stand 50 years later? Lessons from cleaner wrasse and other species. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 7(1), 4658.
Bowman, L. (n.d.). Mirror study indicates elephants are pretty smart. Scripps Howard News Service.
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