Brief Report: The me beyond the mirror: Exploring the developmental correlates of the multidimensional self

TY - JOUR

T1 - Brief Report: The me beyond the mirror

T2 - Exploring the developmental correlates of the multidimensional self

AU - Goncharova, Yaroslava

AU - Ross, Josephine

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

PY - 2025/9/15

Y1 - 2025/9/15

N2 - Recognizing the limitations of mirror self-recognition as a measure of self development, we use a multidimensional caregiver report measure known as the self-concept questionnaire (SCQ), consisting of four different factors (self-description/evaluation, self-recognition, emotional response to wrongdoing and autonomy) to replicate the previously identified developmental correlates of objective self-awareness for 199 14- to 54-month-old children. Primary caregivers were recruited via an online research platform to answer a survey regarding the development of their child, including the SCQ, and standardized measures of attachment, cognitive development, and social behavior. Correlation and linear regression analyses demonstrated that the established cognitive and social predictors of mirror self-recognition are also related to wider aspects of self-awareness, as measured by the SCQ. Older infants, with strong attachment bonds who placed greater demands on their caregiver and engaged in more pretend play, imitation, self-regulation, and prosociality were likely to have a more developed sense of self. These factors accounted for over 60% of the variance in overall SCQ scores, with pretend play, prosociality, and relational demands making independently significant contributions to the model. To determine causality, we suggest that future observational studies broaden their understanding of the development of the self beyond the mirror mark test of self-awareness and focus on the longitudinal mapping of the social and cognitive process of self-other-differentiation.

AB - Recognizing the limitations of mirror self-recognition as a measure of self development, we use a multidimensional caregiver report measure known as the self-concept questionnaire (SCQ), consisting of four different factors (self-description/evaluation, self-recognition, emotional response to wrongdoing and autonomy) to replicate the previously identified developmental correlates of objective self-awareness for 199 14- to 54-month-old children. Primary caregivers were recruited via an online research platform to answer a survey regarding the development of their child, including the SCQ, and standardized measures of attachment, cognitive development, and social behavior. Correlation and linear regression analyses demonstrated that the established cognitive and social predictors of mirror self-recognition are also related to wider aspects of self-awareness, as measured by the SCQ. Older infants, with strong attachment bonds who placed greater demands on their caregiver and engaged in more pretend play, imitation, self-regulation, and prosociality were likely to have a more developed sense of self. These factors accounted for over 60% of the variance in overall SCQ scores, with pretend play, prosociality, and relational demands making independently significant contributions to the model. To determine causality, we suggest that future observational studies broaden their understanding of the development of the self beyond the mirror mark test of self-awareness and focus on the longitudinal mapping of the social and cognitive process of self-other-differentiation.

KW - Self-awareness

KW - mirror self-recognition

KW - secondary representation

KW - self-concept questionnaire

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105016892698

U2 - 10.1080/00221325.2025.2545501

DO - 10.1080/00221325.2025.2545501

M3 - Article

C2 - 40952392

SN - 0022-1325

VL - 187

SP - 134

EP - 144

JO - Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development (Journal of Genetic Psychology)

JF - Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human Development (Journal of Genetic Psychology)

IS - 2

ER -