Impact of Co-actor Avatar’s Visual Representation on Social Simon Effect in VR

Abstract

In joint actions, the Social Simon Effect (SSE) manifests as a reaction time interference effect, triggered by the automatic activation of the co-actor’s behavior representations within the motor system. The relationship between the co-actor’s presence and their complementary actions has been explored. However, in virtual reality, as the avatar’s visual representation influences how others’ presence and actions are perceived, the occurrence of SSE may vary. This study examined the SSE in a virtual environment (VE) and looked into (1) whether the SSE can occur during joint actions of avatars in a VE; and (2) how the visual representation of the co-actor’s avatar affects SSE; through the joint Simon task performed by two adjacent virtual avatars. Based on these results, we discussed the potential relationship between avatar visual representation and social presence, perceived co-actor’s intentionality, and causality recognition of the co-actor’s behavior, as well as how these factors may facilitate or hinder the SSE.