Body Image

Body Image and Perception

The asynchronous bundling of sensory inputs is crucial for our perception of self and body image.

Sensory Illusions and Body Perception

Various experiments demonstrate how our sensory systems can be manipulated:

Rubber Hand Illusion: Visual input overrides proprioception

When a rubber hand is visually synchronized with tactile stimulation, skin conductance response increases when the rubber hand is threatened

Phantom Nose Illusion: Tactile input overrides proprioception

Touching someone else's nose while being touched creates the illusion of having an elongated nose

Neural Basis of Body Image

Stimulation at the junction of the angular gyrus, occipital, temporal, and parietal lobes disrupts our sense of self, similar to experiences during sleep paralysis.

Descartes: Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am) Despite Wittgenstein's certainty about the self...

Sensory Integration and Cross-Modal Plasticity

Visual and tactile systems share strong latent connections

In blind individuals, visual cortex responds to tactile stimuli, similar to synesthesia

Therapeutic Applications of Sensory Illusions

Even pain perception can be manipulated through illusion, which has applications in treatment.

Self-distinction relies on three types of covariance (temporal relationships) forming a bundle of perceptions:

Vision - most dominant

Touch

Proprioception: body location in relation to environment

When these sensory inputs are not properly synchronized, out-of-body experiences can occur. Visual input typically overrides proprioceptive information.

The Illusory Nature of Self-Recognition

Sense of agency is immune to error through misidentification

Angular gyrus → creates proprioceptive confusion, similar to spiritual experiences - similar effects occur at the temporoparietal junction