Abstract
Interpersonal relationships affect many aspects of life, but little attention has been paid to their effects on sensorimotor tasks. This proposal aims to study the effects of interpersonal relationships on balancing a visual inverted pendulum (VIP). In the VIP task, participants use a joystick to keep a tall object presented on a computer screen from tipping over under the simulated force of gravity. Participants will work either alone, with a partner whom they know, or with a partner who is a stranger. The hypotheses are as follows: There is an advantage to performing the task with a partner versus alone, and when working in pairs on the VIP task, subjects who are well acquainted will perform better than strangers. We expect to find that there will be an advantage to performing the VIP task with a partner versus alone, and that when working in pairs, those who are well acquainted will perform better when compared to those who do the task as strangers. If these results are found, it would mean that interpersonal relationships may have an impact on work performance.