On the one hand, writing code on a white board in an interview should be easier, because I have an audience.
On the other hand, I don't normally write code on a white board and I rely on the IDE to correct my syntax (and other) mistakes. So white board coding is a more complex task than my normal coding. So white board coding is harder and I do it more poorly.
On the other hand, if nothing is at stake, if it's just a friendly discussion about how to do something, among friends, I'm less nervous and it's more fun.
But if a potential job is on the line and I'm in front of strangers, it's more stressful and my performance suffers.
On the other hand, I don't normally write code on a white board and I rely on the IDE to correct my syntax (and other) mistakes. So white board coding is a more complex task than my normal coding. So white board coding is harder and I do it more poorly.
On the other hand, if nothing is at stake, if it's just a friendly discussion about how to do something, among friends, I'm less nervous and it's more fun.
But if a potential job is on the line and I'm in front of strangers, it's more stressful and my performance suffers.
I don't know. What's the biggest effect?