Can identical twins pass the mirror test?

[.Shane.]

That other thread about the pigs/mirror test got me wondering...

Its often talked about how identical twins have a "special" bond and can sense things about each other, etc...

So, I wondered if they could tell each other apart if they had no input that gave them clues?

If you dressed them the same, same haircut, etc... (assume no differentiating marks, ie facial scars) and took their pictures, could twin 1 tell himself from twin 2?

I realize I'm not saying this well, but I think you get the idea. Anyone ever heard of such an experiment being tried?

 

[Godwynn]

I've always wondered how parents know which identical twin is which.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I think it would depend upon the age when they are given the test. IIRC toddlers pass it at about 2 years old.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I've always wondered how parents know which identical twin is which.

Mostly it is easy because they are not always physically "exact" copies and their personalities are often not the same.

 

[IglooDame]

That other thread about the pigs/mirror test got me wondering...

Its often talked about how identical twins have a "special" bond and can sense things about each other, etc...

So, I wondered if they could tell each other apart if they had no input that gave them clues?

If you dressed them the same, same haircut, etc... (assume no differentiating marks, ie facial scars) and took their pictures, could twin 1 tell himself from twin 2?

I realize I'm not saying this well, but I think you get the idea. Anyone ever heard of such an experiment being tried?

I think part of the mirror test is the individual motioning and figuring out that it actually them making the motion. In that sense, twins would pass it at the same average age as any other child, assuming no brain disorders. But if you took individual photos of twins where personality and pose could be ruled out (say, wearing a uniform and standing at attention or something), I'd be surprised if they could indeed identify themselves vs their sibling.

 

[BSmith1068]

I've always wondered how parents know which identical twin is which.

Put a little bit of finger nail polish on one of the twin's toes... (works as an infant anyway - then personality, etc...)

My wife and I are actually expecting twins next year. Most likely not identical, but we are not sure yet. Kinda starts to make you think about questions just like the one you ask...

 

[PeteAtoms]

All the other twins I know, look identical at first glance. But once your around them for a while, you pick up on the little things that make them really different. And you soon start to wonder why you couldn't tell them apart to begin with, but you can now. I'm sure parents are like this.

 

[Formaldehyde]

That other thread about the pigs/mirror test got me wondering...

No. They have been known to frequently hiss at themselves whenever passing in front of mirrors.

 

[Cutlass]

Lots of funky things happen with twins. There have been many cases of twins who were separated ending up with very similar lives, for example.

 

[PiMan]

I am a twin, and although my brother and I look quite different now, if you showed us a photo from before we were eight years old or so, we wouldn't be able to tell who's who. We wouldn't have been able to tell even a week after the photo was taken, unless we happened to remember what we were wearing.

My mum used to tell me that when we were very young, and one of us was placed in front of a mirror, we would think nothing of it, assuming that the person in the mirror was not ourself but the other brother. Put both of us in front of a mirror, and we'd be really freaked out.

It has always been easier for other people to tell us apart than ourselves, because in day to day life we never need to know which is which, we just know.