The development of multisensory representations of the body and of the space around the body

© Oxford University Press 2012. All rights reserved. This chapter reviews research directed at tracking the development of multisensory representations of the body, limbs, and the near-to-hand environment in infancy and early childhood. The focus is on the development of the multisensory processes involved in the representation of the body in a canonical posture, and more dynamic forms of multisensory integration which are required to represent the body as it moves and adopts different postures. These kinds of representation form the basis of action on the environment. The chapter argues that an understanding of the development of multisensory representations of the body and peripersonal space has important implications both for theories of perceptual and cognitive development.