Rubber Hand Illusion

Students experience how the brain can be tricked into believing that a fake hand is their own. By synchronously stroking a hidden real hand and a visible fake hand, vision overrides touch and creates the illusion that the fake hand belongs to the participant.

1. Seat a volunteer at a table with their left hand resting slightly to the side.
2. Cover the volunteer’s forearm with a black cloth, leaving only their wrist and hand visible.
3. Place a fake rubber hand in front of the volunteer and cover it with another black cloth, exposing a similar portion of wrist and hand.
4. Position a barrier so the volunteer cannot see their real hand.
5. Using two paint brushes, stroke the fake hand and the real hand at the same time, making identical movements on corresponding fingers and areas.
6. Continue the stroking for about one minute.
7. Suddenly strike the fake hand with a hammer or fist and observe the volunteer’s reaction.

A 'science' experiment with a fake hand - Nino Loner:

The Rubber Hand Illusion - Horizon: Is Seeing Believing? - BBC:

📄 Fake Hand - Science World: https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/fake-hand/

📄 Rubber Hand Illusion - Columbia University Neuroscience Outreach: https://cuno.zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/content/rubber-hand-illusion

• Try using different objects (e.g., feathers, cotton balls) instead of paint brushes.
• Test whether the illusion works with the right hand instead of the left.
• Compare responses between different age groups or genders.
• Vary the timing so the strokes are slightly out of sync and note whether the illusion still works.

• Do not strike the fake hand with excessive force near the participant to avoid accidental injury.
• Ensure the barrier is stable so it does not fall during the activity.
• Use a lightweight hammer or substitute with a fist to reduce risk.

• Why did you react even though you knew the fake hand wasn’t your real hand? (The brain accepted the fake hand as part of the body map due to matching visual and tactile signals.)
• Which sense dominated in this activity, sight or touch? (Sight dominated, leading the brain to believe the fake hand was real.)
• How does this experiment demonstrate the importance of proprioception? (It shows how the brain combines signals from multiple senses to create body awareness, and how vision can override proprioception.)
• Why might some people be more susceptible to this illusion than others? (Differences in sensory processing or reliance on visual cues may play a role.)