Approaching Stan Laurel's illusion: the self-induced rubber hand phenomenon

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• The classical rubber hand illusion (RHI) typically requires an experimenter to induce sensations, often involving visual occlusion.
• Understanding the mechanisms of RHI is crucial for exploring body ownership and sensory integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel phenomenon: the self-induced rubber hand illusion (SRHI).
• To investigate the possibility of eliciting RHI without external assistance or visual obstruction.
• To explore the implications of SRHI for understanding neural plasticity.

Main Methods:

• Participants self-administered tactile stimulation to their own hand.
• Visual feedback was provided without occlusion, allowing for self-observation.
• The subjective experience of body ownership was assessed.

Main Results:

• A self-induced rubber hand illusion was successfully elicited.
• The feeling of a "third hand" was reported without experimenter intervention.
• The illusion was achievable under conditions of no visual occlusion.

Conclusions:

• The self-induced rubber hand illusion represents a new paradigm in RHI research.
• Findings suggest a greater role for internal factors and neural plasticity in body ownership.
• This phenomenon opens new avenues for studying self-perception and sensory integration.