Abstract
Bodily self-recognition involves integration of synchronous visuo-motor information. Recently, functional body model hypothesis, with the potential to explain the alteration of bodily self-recognition from the viewpoint of bodily functionality, has been proposed. However, it is still an assumption without experimental evidence. Here, we investigated whether the bodily functionality modulates the alteration of bodily self-recognition using a rubber hand illusion paradigm. We compared the alteration of bodily self-recognition based on simple visuo-motor integration with a rubber hand (neutral condition) to that based on the functionality provided by visuo-motor integration through a key-pressing task with the rubber hand (functionality condition). We measured the proprioceptive drift, the mislocalization of own perceived hand position toward the dummy hand, as an objective index of illusory bodily self-recognition on the dummy hand. The proprioceptive drift was greater in the functionality condition compared to that in the neutral condition. This result suggests that functionality influences bodily self-recognition.
