Body Mapping and the Rubber Hand Illusion

The Rubber Hand Illusion shows how the brain builds a map of the body in space. This body map helps people reach for objects, walk without hitting obstacles, and sit down without missing a chair. It depends on proprioception, which is the brain's sense of where the limbs are based on control and feedback signals.

Illusions are often used in psychology to test processes of perception; as it turns out, tricking the brain is rather easy.

Under normal circumstances, individuals walk around without bumping into any obstacles, because they know where their limbs are relative to items in the surroundings. This concept of body awareness is referred to as p...