title: The rubber hand illusion in a mirror.
abstract: In the rubber hand illusion (RHI) one's hand is hidden, and a fake hand is visible. We explored the situation in which visual information was available indirectly in a mirror. In the mirror condition, compared to the standard condition (fake hand visible directly), we found no reduction of the RHI following synchronised stimulation, as measured by crossmanual pointing and by a questionnaire. We replicated the finding with a smaller mirror that prevented visibility of the face. The RHI was eliminated when a wooden block replaced the fake hand, or when the hand belonged to another person or mannequin. We conclude that awareness of the reflection is the critical variable, despite the distant visual localisation of the hand in a mirror and the third-person perspective. Stimuli seen in a mirror activate the same response as stimuli seen in peripersonal space, through knowledge that they are near one's body.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, UK. m.bertamini@liv.ac.uk
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bertamini
authors.forename: Nausicaa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Berselli
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bode
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.forename: Li Ting
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D001828:Body Image; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000523:psychology*; D011434:Proprioception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult