Current knowledge of mirror testing

There is some debate about the value of mirror testing and the interpretation of the results. Although this test has been widely used in primates, it is still controversial to apply this test to animals that mainly rely on perception rather than vision. There are also some variations of mirror testing based on other modes, such as testing with smells. For example, biologist Mark Bikov invented an example of testing self-awareness with dog urine.

In addition, even visually oriented animals may not pass the test because they are not familiar with the mirror, or may not have the motivation to touch the mark on their foreheads (for whatever reason). Therefore, Gallup's mirror test is criticized as logically invalid, because the negative result cannot be explained. For example, patients with prosopagnosia may not pass the mirror test, although they have the ability of self-cognition.