Through (Tracking) Their Eyes: Abstraction and Complexity in Program Comprehension

Previous studies on writing and understanding programs presented evidence that programmers beyond a novice stage utilize plans or plan-like structures. Other code composition showed learners have difficulties with writing, reading, debugging where interacting are merged into short piece of code. In this article, we focus the question how different code-composition strategies familiarity affect program comprehension more abstract, i.e., algorithmic level. Using an eye-tracking setup, explored advanced students comprehend their underlying algorithms written in either abutted (sequenced) blocks varying familiarity. The effects were studied both isolated combination. Our analysis quantitative data adds to our behavior reported previous programs’ difficulty. along retrospective interviews, analyze students’ reading patterns provide support subjects able form mental models execution during task performance. Furthermore, results suggest retrieve create schemata when is composed familiar templates, which may improve performance; found indicators for higher element-interactivity compared composition.