Research Notes: Rubber Hand Illusion

The Rubber Hand Illusion is a classic experiment in neuroscience and psychology that demonstrates how the brain constructs a "self-model" of the body.

The Experiment

An experimenter strokes a fake rubber hand (placed on a table) in sync with the subject's hidden real hand. Within minutes, the brain begins to "adopt" the rubber hand as part of the body.

The Evidence

The illusion is not just a feeling; it is measurable:

• Flinch Response: If the rubber hand is suddenly threatened (e.g., by a falling object), the subject will flinch as if their real hand were being hit.
• Temperature Drop: The real hand's temperature measurably drops as if it were "evicted" from the body's primary ownership.
• Proprioception: The brain's sense of where the hand is in space shifts to align with the rubber hand's position.

The Lesson

It proves that "selfhood" is not just a static fact but a dynamic construction. The brain doesn't just "know" what the body is; it decides what counts as "me" based on the flow of information.