Self-concept clarity and interoceptive updating in the rubber-hand illusion: A double replication study.
Canadian journal of experimental psychology = Revue canadienne de psychologie experimentale March 1, 2026 Willis Klein, Amy J Gregory, Sonia A Krol et al.
People with less clear and stable self-concepts are more susceptible to the rubber-hand illusion, a bodily illusion where a fake hand is felt as one's own. This replication study found that lower self-concept clarity predicted stronger embodiment of the rubber hand not only in the asynchronous stroking condition, where the illusion is typically unwarranted, but also in the synchronous condition. The results strengthen evidence for a link between abstract self-representations and bodily self-awareness. An attempted replication of oxytocin's effect on the illusion did not succeed, though methodological differences may explain the failure.