When discussing programming “languages,” people often use natural language as an analogy for code. However, fundamental differences often exist between the two. Code lacks verbs, and while languages like C++ have specific keywords, they effectively contain an infinite number of nouns. Despite these differences, code is highly structured and semantically rich, incorporating elements such as variable declarations and method calls.
In his talk, Zach will present his eye-tracking research on how programmers read and understand code. He will describe how he mapped programmers' gaze onto code to analyze reading patterns, with a particular focus on code semantics. In the second part of his talk, Zach will share insights from his neuroimaging research, examining how brain activity changes over time as a result of time spent on coding activities. Overall, this work contributes to our understanding of the cognitive basis of coding, and to the toolbox one can use to analyze code reading and comprehension. Pizza lunch will be served.
