Work

Multiple trajectories of proprioceptive drift in the mirror box illusion

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The mirror box illusion creates a visual-proprioceptive conflict in which an observer's hidden hand feels like it occupies the position of their other hand's viewed reflection. We used this illusion to explore the temporal dynamics of multisensory conflict resolution, recording perceived hand position repeatedly while manipulating visual-proprioceptive congruence across four experiments within a neurotypical population ( N = 181). Conditions with greater visual-proprioceptive congruence strengthened the illusion. Surprisingly, however, we found that the illusion follows multiple trajectories: abrupt shifts, gradual drifts, immediate onset, or no illusion at all. These trajectories are unevenly distributed across individuals, suggesting differences in observers' experience of this illusion. We advance a possible explanation in which these different trajectories could be produced by three algorithmically distinct causal inference mechanisms. By tracing the perceptual time course of individual trials, we find heterogeneity which may offer insights into the mechanisms underlying this multisensory illusion.

Source: iScience

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116433

Authors: Grant T. Fairchild, Yuqi Liu, Jared Medina

Institutions: Emory University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Delaware

Language: English

Topic: Multisensory perception and integration

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,240

Funder: National Science Foundation