Task sharing in virtual environment: Flanker-task responses become faster with task sharing with a partner

If a target is flanked by non-target and incongruent stimuli, human response to the target is delayed (Eriksen flanker effect). The flanker effect is enhanced when the task is shared by two people and a person's target is flanked by non-target stimuli that are identical to his/her partner's target (Joint flanker effect). We aimed to test whether the joint flanker effect could occur in a virtual environment using a 360-deg camera and a head-mounted display. We did not find the joint flanker effect, but the participants' reaction time became faster by sharing the task with an actual partner or a virtual partner than by performing the task alone. These results suggest that human collaboration in a virtual environment would improve individual performance efficiency.