Working Together: Synergistic Predictors of Dyadic Performance in a Shared Force-Production Task.

Abstract

A core feature of joint action is task-sharing-the dynamic coordination of individual efforts to produce and stabilize a shared outcome. Yet, it remains unclear which features of task-sharing dynamics relate to stable performance. In this study, we address this gap by identifying behavioral markers that capture the organization and robustness of task-sharing in a joint force-production task. Thirty dyads performed a continuous force-production task in which each partner independently applied force to jointly match a target total force. Real-time visual feedback was provided on their combined output. The task was completed under low-force (10% maximum voluntary contraction) and high-force (30% maximum voluntary contraction) conditions to manipulate difficulty. Trials revealed qualitatively distinct patterns of force contribution, including cases in which a single partner carried most of the output, patterns in which partners contributed with distinct temporal roles, and fully synergistic task-sharing in which both partners continuously shaped total force fluctuations. We used within-trial uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis to characterize the dominant, synergistic mode along two dimensions. The first is the degree of variation in task-sharing patterns that leaves performance unchanged (VUCM). The second is the degree of irregularity-computed as sample entropy-of these patterns (SampEnUCM). Dyads with lower VUCM and lower SampEnUCM demonstrated greater performance stability. VUCM and SampEnUCM thus serve as indices of robust task-sharing patterns, offering behavioral access to the control mechanisms that enable stable joint performance, particularly under more challenging conditions.