45,290 research outputs found
Links between the personalities, styles and performance in computer programming
There are repetitive patterns in strategies of manipulating source code. For
example, modifying source code before acquiring knowledge of how a code works
is a depth-first style and reading and understanding before modifying source
code is a breadth-first style. To the extent we know there is no study on the
influence of personality on them. The objective of this study is to understand
the influence of personality on programming styles. We did a correlational
study with 65 programmers at the University of Stuttgart. Academic achievement,
programming experience, attitude towards programming and five personality
factors were measured via self-assessed survey. The programming styles were
asked in the survey or mined from the software repositories. Performance in
programming was composed of bug-proneness of programmers which was mined from
software repositories, the grades they got in a software project course and
their estimate of their own programming ability. We did statistical analysis
and found that Openness to Experience has a positive association with
breadth-first style and Conscientiousness has a positive association with
depth-first style. We also found that in addition to having more programming
experience and better academic achievement, the styles of working depth-first
and saving coarse-grained revisions improve performance in programming.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figure
A framework for understanding the factors influencing pair programming success
Pair programming is one of the more controversial aspects of several Agile system development methods, in particular eXtreme Programming (XP). Various studies have assessed factors that either drive the success or suggest advantages (and disadvantages) of pair programming.
In this exploratory study the literature on pair programming is examined and factors distilled. These factors are then compared and contrasted with those discovered in our recent Delphi study of pair programming.
Gallis et al. (2003) have proposed an initial framework aimed at providing a comprehensive identification of the major factors impacting team programming situations including pair programming. However, this
study demonstrates that the framework should be extended to include an additional category of factors that relate to organizational matters. These factors will be further refined, and used to develop and empirically evaluate a conceptual model of pair programming (success)
Bias and Equivalence in Cross-Cultural Research
Bias and equivalence are key concepts in the methodology of cross-cultural studies. Bias is a generic term for any challenge of the comparability of cross-cultural data; bias leads to invalid conclusions. The demonstration of equivalence (lack of bias) is a prerequisite for any cross-cultural comparison. we first describe considerations that are relevant when choosing instruments in a cross-cultural study, notably the question of whether an existing or new instrument is to be preferred.We then describe the definition, manifestation, and sources of three types of bias (construct, method, and item bias), and three levels of equivalence (construct, measurement unit, and full score equivalence). We provide strategies to minimize bias and achieve equivalence that apply either to the design, implementation, or statistical analysis phase of a study. The need to integrate these strategies in cross-cultural studies is emphasized so as to increase the validity of conclusions regarding cross-cultural similarities and differences and rule out alternative explanations of cross-cultural differences
Teaching psychology to computing students
The aim of this paper is twofold. The first aim is to discuss some observations gained from teaching Psychology to Computing students, highlighting both the wide range of areas where Psychology is relevant to Computing education and the topics that are relevant at different stages of students’ education. The second aim is to consider findings from research investigating the characteristics of Computing and Psychology students. It is proposed that this information could be considered in the design and use of Psychology materials for Computing students.
The format for the paper is as follows. Section one will illustrate the many links between the disciplines of Psychology & Computing; highlighting these links helps to answer the question that many Computing students ask, what can Psychology offer to Computing? Section two will then review some of the ways that I have been involved in teaching Psychology to Computing students, from A/AS level to undergraduate and postgraduate level. Section three will compare the profiles of Computing and Psychology students (e.g. on age, gender and motivation to study), to highlight how an understanding of these factors can be used to adapt Psychology teaching materials for Computing students. The conclusions which cover some practical suggestions are presented in section four
For whom will the Bayesian agents vote?
Within an agent-based model where moral classifications are socially learned,
we ask if a population of agents behaves in a way that may be compared with
conservative or liberal positions in the real political spectrum. We assume
that agents first experience a formative period, in which they adjust their
learning style acting as supervised Bayesian adaptive learners. The formative
phase is followed by a period of social influence by reinforcement learning. By
comparing data generated by the agents with data from a sample of 15000 Moral
Foundation questionnaires we found the following. 1. The number of information
exchanges in the formative phase correlates positively with statistics
identifying liberals in the social influence phase. This is consistent with
recent evidence that connects the dopamine receptor D4-7R gene, political
orientation and early age social clique size. 2. The learning algorithms that
result from the formative phase vary in the way they treat novelty and
corroborative information with more conservative-like agents treating it more
equally than liberal-like agents. This is consistent with the correlation
between political affiliation and the Openness personality trait reported in
the literature. 3. Under the increase of a model parameter interpreted as an
external pressure, the statistics of liberal agents resemble more those of
conservative agents, consistent with reports on the consequences of external
threats on measures of conservatism. We also show that in the social influence
phase liberal-like agents readapt much faster than conservative-like agents
when subjected to changes on the relevant set of moral issues. This suggests a
verifiable dynamical criterium for attaching liberal or conservative labels to
groups.Comment: 31 pages, 5 figure
Like grandparents, like parents: Empirical evidence and psychoanalytic thinking on the transmission of parenting styles
The authors discuss the issue of intergenerational transmission of parenting from an empirical and psychoanalytic perspective. After presenting a framework to explain their conception of parenting, they describe intergenerational transmission of parenting as a key to interpreting and eventually changing parenting behaviors. Then they present (1) the empirical approach aimed at determining if there is actually a stability across generations that contributes to harsh parenting and eventually maltreatment and (2) the psyphoanalytic thinking that seeks to explain the continuity in terms of representations and clinical phenomena. The authors also discuss the relationship between the attachment and the caregiving systems and hypothesize a common base for the two systems in childhood experience. Finally, they propose the psychoanalytic perspective as a fruitful theoretical framework to integrate the evidence for the neurophysiological mediators and moderators of intergenerational transmission. Psychoanalytically informed research can provide clinically relevant insights and hypotheses to be tested
Use and Perceived Value of Class Forums
Numerous studies have illustrated the ability of online class discussion forums to support college-level student learning and performance. Yet few instructors incorporate forums into their courses. Many believe that students will fail to find value in or even use class forums or they are concerned about increasing their instructional workloads. Herein we address these concerns via a mixed-methods study of our own students\u27 experiences with class forums
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