The Rouge Test: Searching for a Sense of Self

Recruit one group of 8- to 12-month-old infants and one group of 20- to 24-month-old children. For the purposes of this demonstration, only one child is tested. Larger sample sizes are recommended when conducting any experiments.

1. Make sure the participants are healthy, have no history of developmental disorders, and have normal hearing and vision.
2. Because children in these age groups can be uncooperative or fussy (e.g., refuse to watch a demonstration or fall asleep during testing), it’s advisable to recruit extra participants in order to obtain sufficient data.

1. Data collection

1. Prepare the materials.
   1. Obtain one large mirror and bright, washable, non-toxic paint or cosmetics, such as lipstick, that can be safely applied to a child’s skin.
2. Test
   1. Install the mirror in a testing room, so it is accessible to small children and safe for them to interact with independently.
   2. Set up a video camera at an approximately 45° angle from the mirror, so the child’s reflection or face is visible.
   3. Welcome the parents to the experiment and instruct them to encourage their child to look at and interact with the mirror when they enter the testing room.
   4. Covertly apply paint or cosmetics to the child’s forehead.
      1. It is critical to apply the mark so that the child can see it in their reflection, but otherwise, they cannot see or feel it on their body.
      2. It may be necessary to recruit parents to assist in this process, if the child is wary of strangers.
      3. If the child detects the mark before entering the testing room, abort the experimental session.
   5. Parents enter the testing room and place their child in front of the mirror.
      1. Most children interact with the mirror spontaneously, but instruct the parents to engage their child with the mirror, ensuring that they look at their reflection, if the child initially looks elsewhere.
      2. If the child crawls away from the mirror, gently return them until they look into the mirror.
   6. Video tape the child’s actions.

2. Analysis

1. Two independent coders view the videos.
2. Designate children who only look at the mirror or who touch their reflection in the mirror above the marked area as failing the test.
3. Designate children who see their reflection and touch the mark on their forehead as passing the test.
4. Use statistics to ensure the two coders reliably make the same judgments of children’s behaviors.
5. Use nonparametric statistics to determine if there are differences in the proportion of children in each age group that touch their forehead.