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How Do We Read Algorithms? A Case Study

Authors:

Martha E. Crosby,

Jan StelovskyAuthors Info & Claims

Computer, Volume 23, Issue 1

Pages 24 - 35

Published: 01 January 1990 Publication History

Abstract

The authors report on an experiment that explored the way subjects view an algorithm, written in Pascal, and the graphical representation of its behavior. They designed the experiment to examine the influence of programming experience on how subjects view a short but complex algorithm, and they analyzed the scan patterns of eye movement for subjects at two experience levels. They describe the experimental procedure in detail, and discuss the results. An important finding was that all subjects needed numerous fixations in most areas of the algorithm and spent more time viewing relevant slide areas than did subjects in studies using simple text. This supports the hypothesis that viewing strategies for algorithms differ from those for prose.

References

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2. M. Just and P. Carpenter, "A Theory of Reading: From Eye Fixation to Comprehension," Psychological Rev., Vol. 87, 1980, pp. 329-354.

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3. A. Kennedy and W.S. Murray, "Inspection Times for Words in Syntactically Ambiguous Sentences Under Three Presentation Conditions," J. Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance , Vol. 10, 1984, pp. 833-849.

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4. W. Shebilske and L. Reid, "Reading Eye Movements, Macrostructure and Comprehension Processes," in Proceedings of Visible Language, Vol. 1, P. Kolers, M. Wrolstad, and H. Bouma, eds., Plenum Press, New York, 1979.

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5. C. Vonder Embse, An Eye Fixation Study of Time Factors Comparing Experts and Novices When Reading and Interpreting Mathematical Graphs, UMI dissertation #8717747, Ohio State University, 1987.

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1. W. Chase and H.A. Simon, "Perception in Chess," Cognitive Psychology, Vol. 4, 1974, pp. 55-81.

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2. A. Lesgold et al., "Diagnosing X-Ray Pictures," in The Nature of Expertise, M. Chi, R. Glaser, and M. Farr, eds., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, New Jersey, 1988, pp. 311-342.

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4. B. Adelson, "Problem Solving and the Development of Abstract Categories in Programming," Memory and Cognition, Vol. 9, No. 4, Apr. 1981, pp. 422-433.

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6. B. Curtis et al., "Measuring the Psychological Complexity of Software Maintenance Tasks with Halstead and McCabe Metrics," IEEE Trans. Software Eng., Vol. 5, No. 2, 1979, pp. 96-104.

Digital Library

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7. S. Weidenbeck, "Cognitive Processes in Program Comprehension," in Empirical Studies of Programmers, E. Soloway and S. Iyengar, eds., Ablex, Norwood, N.J., 1986, pp. 48-57.

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8. S. Weidenbeck and J. Scholtz, "Beacons: A Knowledge Structure in Program Comprehension," in Designing and Using Human-Computer Interfaces and Know/- edge-Based Systems, G. Salvendy and M. Smith, eds., Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, 1989, pp. 82-87.

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9. E. Soloway and K. Ehrlich, "Empirical Studies of Programming Knowledge," IEEE Trans. Software Eng., Vol. 10, No. 5, 1984, pp. 595-609.

Digital Library

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10. N. Pennington, "Comprehension Strategies in Programming," in Empirical Studies of Programmers, G. Olson, S.B. Sheppard, and E. Soloway, eds., Ablex, Norwood, N.J., 1987, pp. 100-113.

Cited By

Bansal ASharif BMcMillan C(2023)Towards Modeling Human Attention from Eye Movements for Neural Source Code SummarizationProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35911367:ETRA(1-19)Online publication date: 18-May-2023
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Heinonen AHellas ADoyle MStephenson BDorn BSoh LBattestilli L(2023)Time-constrained Code Recall Tasks for Monitoring the Development of Programming PlansProceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3545945.3569757(806-812)Online publication date: 2-Mar-2023
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How Do We Read Algorithms? A Case Study

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Published In

cover image Computer

Computer Volume 23, Issue 1

January 1990

103 pages

ISSN:0018-9162

Editor:
Bruce D. Shriver
Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette

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Copyright © Copyright © 1990 IEEE. All Rights Reserved.

Publisher

IEEE Computer Society Press

Washington, DC, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 January 1990

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Cited By

Bansal ASharif BMcMillan C(2023)Towards Modeling Human Attention from Eye Movements for Neural Source Code SummarizationProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35911367:ETRA(1-19)Online publication date: 18-May-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3591136
Heinonen AHellas ADoyle MStephenson BDorn BSoh LBattestilli L(2023)Time-constrained Code Recall Tasks for Monitoring the Development of Programming PlansProceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3545945.3569757(806-812)Online publication date: 2-Mar-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3545945.3569757
Al Madi N(2022)How Readable is Model-generated Code? Examining Readability and Visual Inspection of GitHub CopilotProceedings of the 37th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering10.1145/3551349.3560438(1-5)Online publication date: 10-Oct-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3551349.3560438
Peitek NBergum ARekrut MMucke JNadig MParnin CSiegmund JApel SRoychoudhury ACadar CKim M(2022)Correlates of programmer efficacy and their link to experience: a combined EEG and eye-tracking studyProceedings of the 30th ACM Joint European Software Engineering Conference and Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering10.1145/3540250.3549084(120-131)Online publication date: 7-Nov-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3540250.3549084
Sharafi ZBertram IFlanagan MWeimer W(2022)Eyes on Code: A Study on Developers’ Code Navigation StrategiesIEEE Transactions on Software Engineering10.1109/TSE.2020.303206448:5(1692-1704)Online publication date: 1-May-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/TSE.2020.3032064
Kather PVahrenhold J(2021)Exploring Algorithm Comprehension: Linking Proof and Program CodeProceedings of the 21st Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research10.1145/3488042.3488061(1-10)Online publication date: 17-Nov-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3488042.3488061
Aljehane SSharif BMaletic J(2021)Determining Differences in Reading Behavior Between Experts and Novices by Investigating Eye Movement on Source Code Constructs During a Bug Fixing TaskACM Symposium on Eye Tracking Research and Applications10.1145/3448018.3457424(1-6)Online publication date: 25-May-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3448018.3457424
Busjahn TTamm S(2021)A Deeper Analysis of AOI Coverage in Code ReadingACM Symposium on Eye Tracking Research and Applications10.1145/3448018.3457422(1-7)Online publication date: 25-May-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3448018.3457422
Peitek NSiegmund JApel S(2020)What Drives the Reading Order of Programmers?Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Program Comprehension10.1145/3387904.3389279(342-353)Online publication date: 13-Jul-2020
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Madi NPeterson CSharif BMaletic J(2020)Can the E-Z Reader Model Predict Eye Movements Over Code? Towards a Model of Eye Movements Over Source CodeACM Symposium on Eye Tracking Research and Applications10.1145/3379156.3391983(1-4)Online publication date: 2-Jun-2020
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