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One fun little test they do to determine metacognition and the like in humans is this:

Children will watch a puppet show or play in which the puppet/actor has a cake. The puppet/actor will tell the children that he is going to hide his cake underneath the Green Couch (for example). The puppet/actor will ask the children not to touch his cake while he leaves the room. After the puppet/actor leaves the room, another adult enters (possibly the puppeteer), and moves the cake from underneath the Green Couch into the Red Cabinet (both set pieces in the puppet show/play). She then asks the children where the puppet/actor will look for the cake when he gets back.

Children under the age of three will answer "in the Red Cabinet" without hesitation- after all, they know that the cake is in the Red Cabinet, why shouldn't the puppet/actor?

Children around 4 or 5 will hesitate, and not really know where the puppet/actor will look for the cake.

Children over the age of 5 will answer "He'll look under the Green Couch, but he'll be wrong, because I know it's in the Red Cabinet"

This establishes that it isn't until about the age of 5 or 6 that humans develop a theory of mind. In other words, it isn't until 5 or 6 that we are not only self aware, but we are also aware of others, and that these other's awareness of the world is different from our own. (That is, not only can we posit a self and an other, but we posit a self and an other who can also posit his/her own self, which is a self conceivably different from the self we posit for them as an other...Okay, enough of my philosophy class....)

I'm not sure how this ties in with our discussion of the neocortex, but I thought it was an interesting experiment none the less. I've also read that some studies have shown some great apes (probably either chimps or bonobos, I can't remember...) to have theory of mind capabilities, but I've never actually read the study, and I've read many other articles that say this claim is a load of garbage.... Any way, I'll see if I can find any links for people to read more about this some time, but right now I have to go to class.

-Molly