The 'hand paradox': distorted representations guide optimal actions

Distortions of body representations are not the exception but the rule. In his authoritative review, Longo [ 1.] describes how there is a general tendency to overestimate the body width relative to the body length. For example, the perceptual representation of the hand features shortened fingers and a widened dorsum in a number of tasks and modalities (e.g., [ 1., 2.]). This raises an interesting paradox. Effective motor control requires accurate information about the structure, dimension, and position of the hand. How can highly distorted representations of the hand be compatible with skilled manual action [ 1.
, 3.]?