The development of multisensory body representation and awareness continues to 10 years of age: Evidence from the rubber hand illusion

Cowie, D.; Sterling, Sam and Bremner, Andrew J.. 2016. The development of multisensory body representation and awareness continues to 10 years of age: Evidence from the rubber hand illusion. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 142, pp. 230-238. ISSN 0022-0965 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Recent research using the ‘‘rubber hand illusion” shows that the multisensory processes underlying body representations are markedly different in children of 4 to 9 years and adults. In representing the position of their own hand in external space, children of this age rely more on the sight of the hand, and less on its proprioceptively felt position, than adults do. The current study investigated when during later childhood the balance between visual and proprioceptive inputs reaches an adult-like weighting. After inducing the rubber hand illusion in 10- to 13-year-olds, we asked participants to point, with eyes closed, to the perceived position of their hand. We found that pointing responses reached adult levels at 10 to 11 years, showing that at this age children perceive hand location using an adult-like balance of sensory cues. We conclude that the multisensory foundations of the bodily self undergo a protracted period of development through early and mid-childhood, reaching an adult state by 10 to 11 years.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2015.10.003

Keywords:

Rubber hand illusion, Development, Body representation, Multisensory, Perception, Own-body.

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates:

DateEvent
February 2016Published
18 November 2015Published Online

Item ID:

17708

Date Deposited:

14 Apr 2016 09:53

Last Modified:

07 Dec 2020 18:10

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/17708

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