2010 Volume 17 Issue 4 Pages 761-770
In the rubber hand illusion (RHI), individuals misattribute the tactile sensations felt by their own hand, which is kept hidden from view, to a rubber prosthetic hand that they see being tactilely stimulated in synchrony. The phenomenon covers the multisensory integration between vision and touch, with body image as reference. The investigation of RHI has increased in recent years, and the interest has not been restricted to cognitive science. A large number of case studies associated with the RHI have been reported in psychiatric research. With advances in virtual reality, practical applications of RHI have witnessed rapid growth in the technological field. Furthermore, the RHI is closely related to body theory, including the self-other boundary. Indeed, the phenomenon is broadly relevant across a number of domains. This paper reviews the RHI phenomenon and focuses on its interdisciplinary perspective.
